Maracanã stadium
Recent blog articles and last edition of “Back on the Block” gave you the latest on the near $500 million reconstruction of the Maracanã stadium, which will host the 2014 FIFA World Cup final. Since then, the president of Rio de Janeiro’s Court of Justice, Leila Mariano, has overturned the suspension of the award of the operating rights to the Maracanã stadium to the Consorcio Maracanã group.
Not good news for Eike Batista. But of course, he’ll be back for another bite.
Odebrecht, Brazil’s biggest construction company, had teamed up with Anschutz Entertainment Group and billionaire Eike Batista’s sports and entertainment vehicle IMX to agree a deal to operate the famous Maracanã venue. However, Judge Gisela Faria ruled that there had been irregularities in the bidding process, stating that one of the companies in the consortium had been unfairly advantaged. Consorcio Maracanã had agreed a 35-year contract to operate the stadium, which will also host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. (Detail courtesy of Soccerex.)
The new stadium’s project meets LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certificate requirements, awarded to buildings that have a high environmental and energy performance, and comply with international standards.
Savings started at the building site. Approximately 75% of the material demolished was reused in the Maracanã and other public construction projects. The old seats were reused in other stadiums. The demolished concrete was used to prepare the foundations upon which the cranes would be assembled and rebars were recycled.
Footnote: Nearly 200,000 people watched the 1950 World Cup final between Brazil and Uruguay – the largest crowd ever to have watched a football match at a stadium.
Take a good look at the new stadium through this 360 degree visual … nicely done by Odebrecht, the principal construction company
http://www.copa2014.gov.br/en/noticia/see-interactive-360-degree-image-new-maracana
You may like to dream a few minutes via this 360 view of Brazil http://www.braziltour360.com/index.html?goback=.gde_3806608_member_240286328#rio
International tourism promotion around the World Cup
The Brazilian Tourism Board (EMBRATUR), in partnership with the Ministries of Tourism, Sport, Culture, External Relations, state governments and FIFA, has all but completed its Goal to Brazil promotion through 12 international cities. In each edition, one 2014 World Cup host city was chosen as the main focus and was able to present visitors more detailed information about their tourist and cultural attractions, as well as their infrastructure in relation to the press, opinion makers and tourism professionals. Last stop was New York. Previous cities in the program were Santiago (Chile), Bogota (Colombia), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Paris (France), Lisbon (Portugal), Toronto (Canada), Madrid (Spain), Milan (Italy), Berlin (Germany), London (England), Montevideo (Uruguay), Lima (Peru) and Mexico City (Mexico). The Goal to Brazil program reached, on average, over 200 travel agents, tourism operators, as well as the press, in an exclusive destination focused event. For more details check http://www.copa2014.gov.br/en
Naming rights for two stadiums
Brewing giant Grupo Petrópolis has become naming rights sponsor for two 2014 FIFA World Cup venues, Arena Pernambuco in Recife and Salvador’s Arena Fonte Nova. The deals have each cost Petrópolis R$100 million (US$49.5 million) for its beer brand Itaipava to have prime viewing in the stadiums. The contracts provide for no advertising during the forthcoming Confederations Cup and five matches during the World Cup itself.
Along with naming rights, the agreement also allows Petrópolis to sell its Itaipava and TNT energy drink products in the stadiums.
AmBev, part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest beer seller, is the official 2014 FIFA World Cup brewer sponsor and beer will be sold at all venues.
Beer brands include Brahma, Antarctica, Budweiser and Skol.
