Further delays to two 2014 World Cup host stadia projects were revealed this week, with Porto Alegre's Beira Rio development continuing in a state of suspended animation as the stadium's managers, Brazilian Championship club Sport Club Internacional, await the sale of its old facility the 'Eucaliptos' as well as the clarification of special tax rules that would reduce the required investment by 30%. This all despite the fact that the project was at one time scheduled to begin at the end of 2008. Although some minor works have begun, FIFA's March 2010 deadline for the beginning of the main project is now looking a very tough ask.
The second delay occurred in Recife, the capital of President Lula's north-eastern home state Pernambuco, where the tender process for the primary construction contract for the Arena Capibaribe has been delayed by almost two months following a decision by the Federal Public Ministry to change parts of the tender requirements, allowing more groups to submit bids but forcing the submission date to be moved to late March. The start date for construction has also been put back by two months, from March to May, however the organising committee remains adamant that the completion deadline of December 2012 will still be met.
The same deadline for the Beira Rio project, December 2012, also remains, despite the ongoing impasse. The dates for the World Cup 2014 will certainly not change.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Sport The Winner As Cup Propels Investments All Around
While the 2014 World Cup requires the construction of three news stadia and nine major stadium refurbishments around Brazil by 2013, creating opportunities across a range of industries, a further benefit will be the improvement and development of many other non-2014 sport and stadia facilities throughout the country. Indeed, looking past the big, expensive and media-friendly projects for the 12 host stadia for 2014, there are a number of (sorely needed) developments under way.
Amongst others, Brazil’s southern-most state capital Porto Alegre will be home to a second top class venue by 2014, with the upgrade of Internacional’s Beira Rio Stadium, the official World Cup venue, to be matched by a brand new, 50,000 capacity arena developed by cross-town rival club Gremio (which has not yet given up hope of stealing the Cup hosting rights); Minas Gerais state capital Belo Horizonte will gain a significantly upgraded secondary stadium, with the Independencia venue to receive a major overhaul during 2010, moving from 10,000 to 25,000 capacity; Rio de Janeiro will obviously be the centre of major sport facility development over the coming years thanks to the 2014 Cup and 2016 Olympics double-whammy; while countless private football and sports clubs around Brazil are busy planning extensive facility upgrades and developments, either with views to hosting one of the 31 travelling World Cup squads during the 2014 tournament or simply to hitch a ride on the new wave of interest in sport in the country.
Such infrastructural development is more than overdue if Brazil is to ramp up its sport participation levels and international performances (beyond football and volleyball) over the coming years, as has been mooted in various circles and is suggested by the country’s move to host the world’s two biggest sporting events back-to-back. Although understandable given its recent history of social and economic problems, the plain fact is that most Brazilian cities have very little in the way of high quality sporting facilities and stadia, with the former generally restricted to expensive, private clubs and the latter consisting of just two or three large stadia per city (and all of which still require significant upgrading to reach current international standards).
Furthermore, as has been seen in many other major event host countries in recent years, the development of new sporting infrastructure can and should bring with it significant social, urban and environmental improvements, providing fresh opportunities for Brazil and its people.
Amongst others, Brazil’s southern-most state capital Porto Alegre will be home to a second top class venue by 2014, with the upgrade of Internacional’s Beira Rio Stadium, the official World Cup venue, to be matched by a brand new, 50,000 capacity arena developed by cross-town rival club Gremio (which has not yet given up hope of stealing the Cup hosting rights); Minas Gerais state capital Belo Horizonte will gain a significantly upgraded secondary stadium, with the Independencia venue to receive a major overhaul during 2010, moving from 10,000 to 25,000 capacity; Rio de Janeiro will obviously be the centre of major sport facility development over the coming years thanks to the 2014 Cup and 2016 Olympics double-whammy; while countless private football and sports clubs around Brazil are busy planning extensive facility upgrades and developments, either with views to hosting one of the 31 travelling World Cup squads during the 2014 tournament or simply to hitch a ride on the new wave of interest in sport in the country.
Such infrastructural development is more than overdue if Brazil is to ramp up its sport participation levels and international performances (beyond football and volleyball) over the coming years, as has been mooted in various circles and is suggested by the country’s move to host the world’s two biggest sporting events back-to-back. Although understandable given its recent history of social and economic problems, the plain fact is that most Brazilian cities have very little in the way of high quality sporting facilities and stadia, with the former generally restricted to expensive, private clubs and the latter consisting of just two or three large stadia per city (and all of which still require significant upgrading to reach current international standards).
Furthermore, as has been seen in many other major event host countries in recent years, the development of new sporting infrastructure can and should bring with it significant social, urban and environmental improvements, providing fresh opportunities for Brazil and its people.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Pelé's Africa warning draws sound advice from SA football boss
The little saga this week involving comments by Brazilian football god Pelé about issues with security in Africa ahead of the 2010 World Cup is worth noting not only for the obvious parallels with Brazil’s own issues for the 2014 Cup but also for the response by South African Football Association (SAFA) President Kirsten Nematandani (for a marginally less diplomatic response check out this). The comments related to the serious incident involving an attack on the Togo national team in Angola during the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations tournament, with Pelé’s quite simple assertion that the episode would have repercussions for South Africa 2010 security drawing a rapid reply from Nemetandani that “Angola is a far way from South Africa” and that “people must remember that Africa has 52 countries.”
Brazilian Football Confederation bosses take note, as a similar concept applies to the 2014 Cup: just as South Africa has distanced itself from troubled nations in the same neighbourhood to avoid being caught up in negative incidents and stereotypess, so too should Brazilian host cities distance themselves from the country’s chief source of negative images: drugs and violence in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Despite Rio’s obvious position as the centrepiece of 2014, which will include a second World Cup final on the hallowed turf of Maracanã, the other 11 host cities and hundreds of tourist destinations far away from the infamous slums will, combined, play a far greater role than Rio alone. Indeed, with 90% of the matches to be played in cities other than Rio, a good portion of visitors and certainly many locals will not go anywhere near the city during the event.
That’s certainly not to say that the other host cities do not have problems of their own, however there is nothing really rivalling Rio’s dilemmas in terms of open violence, and the likes of Curitiba, Natal, Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre boast some of the highest standards of living in Latin America. As such, convincing worried potential visitors that Rio's problems are a long way from their tranquil, tourist-friendly settings should certainly be on the agendas of host city and state governments as the 2014 Cup approaches.
Brazilian Football Confederation bosses take note, as a similar concept applies to the 2014 Cup: just as South Africa has distanced itself from troubled nations in the same neighbourhood to avoid being caught up in negative incidents and stereotypess, so too should Brazilian host cities distance themselves from the country’s chief source of negative images: drugs and violence in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Despite Rio’s obvious position as the centrepiece of 2014, which will include a second World Cup final on the hallowed turf of Maracanã, the other 11 host cities and hundreds of tourist destinations far away from the infamous slums will, combined, play a far greater role than Rio alone. Indeed, with 90% of the matches to be played in cities other than Rio, a good portion of visitors and certainly many locals will not go anywhere near the city during the event.
That’s certainly not to say that the other host cities do not have problems of their own, however there is nothing really rivalling Rio’s dilemmas in terms of open violence, and the likes of Curitiba, Natal, Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre boast some of the highest standards of living in Latin America. As such, convincing worried potential visitors that Rio's problems are a long way from their tranquil, tourist-friendly settings should certainly be on the agendas of host city and state governments as the 2014 Cup approaches.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Events driving big improvements for tourists
Beyond the construction delays, political disputes and miscellaneous problems currently affecting many World Cup 2014 infrastructure projects, there is at least one aspect of the hosting equation that looks well on track: tourism. It is no secret that Brazil has all the makings of a global superpower in this area and the key decision makers seem to be well aware of the need and opportunity to use the Cup and Olympics to harness this often raw potential and improve the country’s ability to cater for all shapes, sizes and budgets.
There have been plenty of smart moves made already, such as the ‘Olá, Turista!’ program offering English and Spanish language courses for hospitality workers in host cities (145,000 pre-enrolments to this point significantly exceeding initial expectations), the launch of various information portals and online resources focused on Cup tourism, the ‘Aquarela 2020’ federal government study to define international marketing aims, objectives and strategies over the next decade, and the freeing up of BNDES (National Bank of Economic Development) credit specifically for tourism and hotel developments.
All in all, Brazil looks well placed to turn itself into a much more tourist friendly destination over the coming years, great for the Cup and Olympics but, more importantly, priceless in terms of the country’s international standing long after the two events have moved on.
There have been plenty of smart moves made already, such as the ‘Olá, Turista!’ program offering English and Spanish language courses for hospitality workers in host cities (145,000 pre-enrolments to this point significantly exceeding initial expectations), the launch of various information portals and online resources focused on Cup tourism, the ‘Aquarela 2020’ federal government study to define international marketing aims, objectives and strategies over the next decade, and the freeing up of BNDES (National Bank of Economic Development) credit specifically for tourism and hotel developments.
All in all, Brazil looks well placed to turn itself into a much more tourist friendly destination over the coming years, great for the Cup and Olympics but, more importantly, priceless in terms of the country’s international standing long after the two events have moved on.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Electoral politics force cuts to Cup budget
R$1.8 billion earmarked for spending on the 2014 World Cup has been stripped from Brazil's 2010 Budget in line with demands by the Democrat party, which maintains that only projects with political interests will be affected by the move. Democrat leader Ronaldo Caiado said that only amendments made by the government at the final hour have been declined, mainly because they involved political point-scoring, and that all other spending previously laid out will be maintained, such that the 2014 Cup will not suffer any delays.
Federal Deputy Geraldo Magela, instigator of the rejected amendments, said the decision will affect non-core projects that should already be underway, such as training centre developments and security upgrades, but will not have an impact on the realisation of the event.
Federal Deputy Geraldo Magela, instigator of the rejected amendments, said the decision will affect non-core projects that should already be underway, such as training centre developments and security upgrades, but will not have an impact on the realisation of the event.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
2014 LOC a ‘black box’
A groundswell of dissatisfaction with the current state of Brazil’s 2014 World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) continues to form following a second set of negative comments in as many weeks from another Federal Deputy. In a report approved unanimously by the Chamber of Deputies’ Financial Regulation and Control Commission, Paulo Rattes, member of the Chamber’s World Cup 2014 sub-commission, has complained about the ‘inexistence’ of planning, strategic actions and cost provisions.
He stated that “nothing, nothing exists” and explained that his report is so critical simply because that is the reality of the situation, plus the fact that there is a dangerous precedent for the current lack of preparation: the Pan-American Games of 2007, which suffered from a significant blow out in spending because a number of urgent, last-minute works were required.
Rattes suggested the creation of a new organising commission incorporating the most number of relevant stakeholders possible, as opposed to the present situation in which the Brazilian Football Federation, headed by Ricardo Teixeira, doesn’t bother to appear at commission hearings or even respond to invites. He said the organisation of the Cup is a ‘black box’ that no one except Teixeira and ‘his mates’ can enter.
Even FIFA was not spared, with Rattes remarking that while they consider some of their requirements as absurd they don’t even have the opportunity to voice concerns or discuss the situation in an open forum.
He stated that “nothing, nothing exists” and explained that his report is so critical simply because that is the reality of the situation, plus the fact that there is a dangerous precedent for the current lack of preparation: the Pan-American Games of 2007, which suffered from a significant blow out in spending because a number of urgent, last-minute works were required.
Rattes suggested the creation of a new organising commission incorporating the most number of relevant stakeholders possible, as opposed to the present situation in which the Brazilian Football Federation, headed by Ricardo Teixeira, doesn’t bother to appear at commission hearings or even respond to invites. He said the organisation of the Cup is a ‘black box’ that no one except Teixeira and ‘his mates’ can enter.
Even FIFA was not spared, with Rattes remarking that while they consider some of their requirements as absurd they don’t even have the opportunity to voice concerns or discuss the situation in an open forum.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Pressure on 'private' 2014 Organizing Committee
Federal Deputy Sílvio Torres, a member of Brazil's Sub-commission supervising the 2014 World Cup, has called for much greater transparency from the Federal Government and Local Organising Committee (LOC) following a recent tour to South Africa to inspect preparations for the 2010 event. The sub-commission, set up in June this year by the country’s Chamber of Deputies, is aiming to follow and report on all public spending on the Cup as closely as possible to ensure all decisions and decision makers are held to account.
Torres commented this week that, unlike the 2010 LOC, which he described as democratic and rightly consisting of representatives from a wide range of relevant sectors, Brazil’s 2014 LOC is essentially a ‘private’ body with a very centralised structure that doesn’t feel the need to justify its decisions to anybody. Going further, he pointed out that, given the 2014 LOC is essentially under the auspices of the Brazilian Football Federation, and with Ricardo Teixeira heading both bodies, it is not advisable to give the Committee so much freedom and decision making power in light of the current state of the Brazilian football league.
Torres recommends creating an intergovernmental executive committee incorporating various ministers and sectors to oversee all decisions relating to the Cup.
The comments come as Torres presides over this week´s launch of a new website aimed at publishing details of all public spending, works, and tenders involving Cup projects. Established by the National Congress upon prompting by Torres himself, the ‘Network of Supervision and Control of The 2014 Cup’ will attempt to overcome the 2014 LOC’s lack of transparency to this point and will also be used for Rio 2016 projects.
Torres commented this week that, unlike the 2010 LOC, which he described as democratic and rightly consisting of representatives from a wide range of relevant sectors, Brazil’s 2014 LOC is essentially a ‘private’ body with a very centralised structure that doesn’t feel the need to justify its decisions to anybody. Going further, he pointed out that, given the 2014 LOC is essentially under the auspices of the Brazilian Football Federation, and with Ricardo Teixeira heading both bodies, it is not advisable to give the Committee so much freedom and decision making power in light of the current state of the Brazilian football league.
Torres recommends creating an intergovernmental executive committee incorporating various ministers and sectors to oversee all decisions relating to the Cup.
The comments come as Torres presides over this week´s launch of a new website aimed at publishing details of all public spending, works, and tenders involving Cup projects. Established by the National Congress upon prompting by Torres himself, the ‘Network of Supervision and Control of The 2014 Cup’ will attempt to overcome the 2014 LOC’s lack of transparency to this point and will also be used for Rio 2016 projects.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Another day, another delay, as the Pantanal gets a green stadium
This week has seen two more quite visible delays in World Cup 2014 projects, one caused by success on the field and the other by weakness off it.
In Rio, the state secretary for sport, tourism and leisure, Márcia Lins, has revealed that work on Maracanã will now not begin until after August 2010 to allow Flamengo to use the ground for its Copa Libertadores matches, following the team's strong end to the 2009 Brazilian season and subsequent classification for the South American clubs tournament. The Maracanã upgrade had been scheduled to begin in December 2009 but has been delayed until March 2010, with the initial, external works to allow the stadium to remain in use until August, when it will close until the completion of works. The additional difficulties involved with working on an operational stadium are still being considered by the planning committee and architects.
In Cuiabá, which sits in the exact centre of South America and is the capital of the state of Mato Grosso (thick bush), the tender period for developers of the city's new stadium has been extended six weeks to allow more groups to submit their proposals. The tender was supposed to close Wednesday 9/12 but organisers decided that the 18 submitted bids were not sufficient and that the additional time will not affect the project start date, currently scheduled for February 2010.
Also in Cuiabá, the public release of plans for the new World Cup-standard stadium show a strong focus on sustainability - economic, social and environmental. The project, by Sao Paulo's GCP Architects, involves a flexible, demountable facility which will eventually be reduced to around 70% of its World Cup-mode capacity of 43,000 spectators. The design also features a strong focus on ventilation systems to help cope with the region's sweltering summers, while another key to the project is the stadium's integration with the surrounding areas, with plans to create a new urban centre post-2014. The entire project is currently budgeted at R$440 million.
In Rio, the state secretary for sport, tourism and leisure, Márcia Lins, has revealed that work on Maracanã will now not begin until after August 2010 to allow Flamengo to use the ground for its Copa Libertadores matches, following the team's strong end to the 2009 Brazilian season and subsequent classification for the South American clubs tournament. The Maracanã upgrade had been scheduled to begin in December 2009 but has been delayed until March 2010, with the initial, external works to allow the stadium to remain in use until August, when it will close until the completion of works. The additional difficulties involved with working on an operational stadium are still being considered by the planning committee and architects.
In Cuiabá, which sits in the exact centre of South America and is the capital of the state of Mato Grosso (thick bush), the tender period for developers of the city's new stadium has been extended six weeks to allow more groups to submit their proposals. The tender was supposed to close Wednesday 9/12 but organisers decided that the 18 submitted bids were not sufficient and that the additional time will not affect the project start date, currently scheduled for February 2010.
Also in Cuiabá, the public release of plans for the new World Cup-standard stadium show a strong focus on sustainability - economic, social and environmental. The project, by Sao Paulo's GCP Architects, involves a flexible, demountable facility which will eventually be reduced to around 70% of its World Cup-mode capacity of 43,000 spectators. The design also features a strong focus on ventilation systems to help cope with the region's sweltering summers, while another key to the project is the stadium's integration with the surrounding areas, with plans to create a new urban centre post-2014. The entire project is currently budgeted at R$440 million.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)