New Zealand team Chef de Mission encouraged by progress in Rio
11.01.2015Ben Lucas impressed by the scale of work around the city as South America prepares to stage its first Paralympic Games.
A spectacular view of with Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ) Rio 2016 Chef de Mission Ben Lucas returned from the second site visit to Rio de Janeiro in December and was encouraged by preparations so far.
Lucas was accompanied by newly appointed Games Campaign and Sports Manager, Lynette Grace.
Ben Lucas said: “I was impressed with the progress that has been made since I visited in May this year. The venues were a hive of activity and the drive to finish on time is evident. The scale of ground works and building taking place all over the city is having far reaching consequences such as further development of the city infrastructure. The transport infrastructure that is being put in place is significant and will be a tremendous legacy from the Games.
“It was particularly exciting to see the progress of the Athlete Village with the building construction complete, and next steps being the interior fit-out and landscaping. It will be a special place and one that the athletes will be able to feel at home with great facilities.
“Within the Athlete Village the New Zealand Paralympic team space we will be focused on creating a high performance team environment which is inspirational and provides the opportunity for our athletes to thrive and succeed. As such we worked closely with the Rio 2016 Organising Committee communicating the needs of New Zealand athletes in terms of logistics, transport and accessibility.”
Lynette Grace said: “A key objective of this visit was to investigate accommodation options and therefore ensure the best possible experience for those support staff, friends and family that travel to Rio de Janeiro and will be staying outside of the village. As part of the New Zealand Paralympic family their Games experience is very important to us. This is the first step in the process and we will continue to work with suppliers and the Rio 2016 Organising Committee.”
Chef de Mission from all over the world will next be in Rio for the Chef de Mission Seminar from 14-18 September 2015.
