It was released on Monday evening, August 8,  at the Embassy of Brazil in London, the Government Program of Olympic Observation (PGO), part of an agreement signed two years ago between the British Government and the Olympic Public Authority (APO) of Brazil. The initiative aims at the exchange of information about the organizationand conduct of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The event was attended by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom for Latin America, Jeremy Browne, and the Chairman of the Olympic Public Authority (APO), Marcio Fortes, along with the Brazilian Ambassador in London, Roberto Jaguaribe.

Since the signing of the cooperation agreement in 2010, more than 100 visits of Brazilian observers to United Kingdom were performed -15 of them this summer. Thirteen British Government departments and 24 Brazilian public bodies and ministries participate in the initiative. "The Government program of Olympic Observation is the perfect example of the increasingly strong partnership between United Kingdom and Brazil. We want to share our experiences and Olympic expertise with Brazil and we have worked together tirelessly to achieve this. Today’s launch will ensure this cooperation to continue in the months and years to come," said Jeremy Browne.

The Chairman of the Olympic delivery Authority highlighted that the agreement is more than a formal program: "We built an almost personal relationshipbefore the nobles on the British sideand one ofgreat interaction", defined Marcio Fortes. He recalled that Brazil also has experience in organizing major events such as the Pan American Games in 2007, and the World Military Games in 2011, and now takes the opportunity to interact with the planning and execution of the Olympics in England, aiming at the Rio 2016. The Governments of the United Kingdom and Brazil are planning a seminar for the month of November, in Rio de Janeiro, to deal with various issues pertaining to the observation program(security, transportation, accreditation, sustainability etc.). The idea is that the agreement should be extended to events such as the FIFA Confederations Cup and the World Cup.

08 August 2012