When taking on the responsibility to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the International Olympic Committee promised to leave behind an Olympic legacy in Rio de Janeiro that would benefit residents for years to come. A piece of that “pre-legacy” came to fruition this week as the city opened up a pool in the impoverished region of Deodoro.
The pool is part of the Deodoro Olympic Park, the second-biggest venue cluster for next year’s event, which will host equestrian, shooting, canoe slalom, BMX, and mountain bike circuits. During the games, the pool will serve as a canoe reservoir for the slalom event (it will not be part of the competition track, nor will it host aquatic events), but for now, free admission is available to around 1.5 million people in the underprivileged neighborhoods surrounding the complex.
“We are delivering this as an advance legacy for one of the poorest areas of Rio de Janeiro, so they can enjoy it during the summer. It’s going to be the best beach in Rio de Janeiro,” said Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes.
The pool will be open to the public until March 1st, when it will close for final preparations for the start of the Olympic Games on August 5th. Afterwards, the pool will reopen as part of a recreational park featuring the Olympic BMX track, a mini mountain bike course, multi-sport courts, nature trails, bike tracks, skateboard facilities, and a barbecue area, along with an educational center and a family health clinic.
Part of the Olympic mission is to leave the host city better off than before the Olympic year by creating economic, cultural, and social opportunities. The opening of the pool in Deodoro will prove a benefit to the surrounding community.
“Creating sustainable legacies is a fundamental commitment of the Olympic Movement,” said International Olympic Committee President Jaques Rogge in the Olympic Legacy brochure. “Every city that hosts the Olympic Games becomes a temporary steward of the Olympic Movement. It is a great responsibility. It is also a great opportunity. Host cities capture worldwide attention. Each has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to showcase the celebration of the human spirit. And each creates a unique set of environmental, social and economic legacies that can change a community, a region, and a nation forever.”
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