Marcio Delgado: Next stop Rio, and the biggest party ever
London's been terrific – but just wait til 2016
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Your support makes all the difference.The next one is always the best one.... For the past couple of years, working in England for Record TV, the official Brazilian network in charge of broadcasting this year's Olympic Games to Brazil, I've heard about London 2012 almost on a daily basis. And, like everyone else, I also panicked at the thought of not being able to get to work due to public-transport chaos, and I became frustrated trying to get tickets to the Games and not being able to.
But then, the event started. And everything suddenly changed. The national mood seemed to switch overnight, for the better. The public transport system didn't crash, nor did the city become impossible to manage – actually, I think, it got even calmer, with lots of people choosing not to travel or deciding to stay away from busy centres. Contrary to what I expected, and surprisingly, I didn't have to amend my routine or leave earlier on my one-hour commute to our studios in Finsbury Park, in the north of the capital.
As a Brazilian, living in London for almost a decade, I have seen local people's attitude towards my country change dramatically over the past years. The tropical holiday destination best known for samba and football has turned into a serious business hub with an economy that gets stronger by the day. And with preparations for Rio 2016 under way, for the past weeks I have genuinely felt as if the capital was already somehow "green and yellow" – an expression that makes reference to the main colours of our flag and which is used to describe the happy and sportsmanlike Brazilian style. For us, it is the journey Ω with all the fun on the way Ω that really matters.
London streets suddenly became much more colourful. People smiled at strangers for a change. And everyone was so busy enjoying every step of the Olympic Games 2012 that no one spent valuable time worrying about risks, riots, terrorist attacks and all those threats that can compromise a massive event such as the one just about to finish. (I am sure a special team was carefully looking after the security, and I am glad the media didn't get hooked on scaring the population).
It seemed a long wait. Years. Months. And then, when the Olympics finally arrived here, they quickly came to an end, just like a very good, well-crafted meal in an expensive restaurant. And, right from the start, with its multi-million-pound cinematic opening ceremony, the world got to know that London would set the bar very high indeed.
Brazil will certainly have to work hard to meet such a feast, looking carefully into the transport system, security and overall structure to host the next Olympics.
However, the good thing is, as time goes by, every host nation's interpretation of the event seems to get bigger and better than the one before, with more technology in place, better access for the masses, a wider coverage.... The whole world will be expecting from Rio a new, warm, and an unforgettable spectacle.
As a democratic country, Brazil doesn't have a queen to "jump" out of a helicopter into a stadium in the opening ceremony: England 1 Ω Brazil 0. We don't have even a James Bond: England 2 Ω Brazil 0. However, if a positive attitude towards life and a natural talent to throw amazing parties is anything to go by, I am sure the next Olympics will be the one to remember. Expected score for Brazil: 10 out of 10!
Marcio Delgado is a London-based Brazilian journalist working for 'Record TV' (Sky 801) and 'Glam magazine', Brazil); twitter.com/@marcio_delgado
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