When
Brazil was awarded the rights for hosting the 2016 Olympic Games, analysts were
astounded not so much by the fact that Rio de Janeiro came out on top, but that
it won so convincingly. Everyone in Olympic circles had expected that the
presence of Barack and Michelle Obama in Copenhagen would tilt the voting
towards Chicago.
In
the end, Obama was upstaged by the Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva, whose impassioned speech to the IOC members won over a majority of the
members. He was in tears when he realised the Games had been awarded to Brazil.
As Da Silva said: “All those people who thought we had no ability to govern
this country will now learn we can host the Olympics. The world has recognised
that the time has come for Brazil.” Da Lula played heavily on the fact that the
people of the hosting nation make all the difference to the success of the
Games: “The opportunity is now to extend the Games to a new continent. It’s an
opportunity for an Olympics in a tropical country for the first time, to feel
the warmth of our people, the exuberance of our culture and the sensation of
our joy.”
All four of the finalists – Chicago, Madrid, Rio de
Janeiro and Tokyo – had the conditions to offer the necessary infrastructure
and security, but Rio (whose nickname is "Cidade Maravilhosa" or
Marvelous City) is "the happiest city in the world according to a survey
by Forbes magazine," Rio’s Mayor Eduardo Paes said prior to the vote by
the International Olympic Committee.
Ever since Fred
Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared in the 1933 film Flying Down to Rio,
the world has been fascinated with Rio de Janeiro. Popular perception of the
city is infused with images of starry-eyed youngsters dancing into the dusk,
backed by imposing mountains and dark sea.
That view has
propelled Rio to the top of the list of the world's happiest cities. Famous for
its annual Carnival festival, the second-largest metropolis in South America
finished first among 50 cities in a recent survey conducted by market
researcher Anholt GfK Custom Research North America.
"Brazil is
associated with all these qualities of good humor and good living and Carnival,"
says Anholt. "Carnival is very important - it's the classic image that
people have of Rio, and it's an image of happiness … Brand Brazil is packed with images which are consistently held by millions of
consumers all over the world - ecstatic samba dancing at carnival time; the
rainforests as endangered as they are exotic; sex, magic, beaches, sport,
adventure, music, style, grace, joie de
vivre … Brazil is the quintessential youth brand – it effortlessly elicits
the range and type of associations in young people all over the world which
brands like Nike or Pepsi would do almost anything to achieve.”
It
is hardly surprising that Nike thought it worthwhile to invest over £100m over
five years into sponsoring the Brazilian football team, literally buying a share
in the equity of Brazil’s Passion Brand. In fact, the brand promise for 2016,
“Live Your Passion”, (which is about to be launched in dramatic fashion at
Rio’s Copacabana New Year Party) plays heavily on “the Brazilian peoples’ way
of getting passionately involved in whatever they do”, according to Carlos
Nuzman, the President of Rio’s 2016 Campaign.
Interestingly,
two of Rio’s predecessors have made the top five happiest cities, the 2000
hosts Sydney at second spot, and the 1992 host city of Barcelona at third. In
fact, it is the much vaunted ‘Barcelona effect’ that turned the once gloomy
destination into a global attraction. Barcelona has the best reputation of all
for thoughtful post-Olympic infrastructure planning: A derelict industrial
waterfront where the Olympics took place was transformed into a popular
esplanade lined with affordable housing, and subsequently a knowledge-industry
hub for young creative talents in media, design and information technology.
The
French historian Fernand Braudel wrote that "Happiness, whether in
business or private life, leaves very little trace in history." But a
perception of happiness leaves a strong trace on the balance sheets of cities
that depend on conventions, tourism and an influx of talent.
Not
only does happiness benefit destinations, but it equally holds rich returns in
investment for organisations. Most recently, McDonalds SA won the much coveted
‘Best Company to work for’ Award by Deloitte and revealed that their employees’
happiness has been a key factor in recording record profits for the South
African operation in the current financial year.
Importantly,
the award of the 2016 Olympic hosting rights to Rio might spell opportunity for
an African city, to bring the world’s biggest sporting event to the one
continent that has never staged it. South Africa might very well be stimulated
after the 2010 FIFA World Cup to put forward a city, possibly Cape Town or
Durban, for hosting the biggest show on earth in 2020.
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Posted by: Air Jordan | 03/15/2010 at 03:23 AM