Sport

Brazil will soon be embarking on a cycle of major sporting events with the Military Games (2011), the Confederations Cup (2013), the World Cup (2014), the America Cup (2015), and the Olympics and Paralympics (2016).This increase makes us reflect a little on longevity. Today we live longer, but do we live better? This virtuous cycle of events raises sport to the status of a strategy for national development and human progress, and Bahia as a whole will be engaged in this process.

In relation to the 2014 World Cup, we cannot fail to highlight its large scale and dominant role as the event nears. A clear notion of what it means for Brazil to be hosting the planet's biggest media event and the context in which this event will take place will certainly help us to reap the biggest benefits possible in terms of sporting, economic and social consequences for Brazilian society. Equal weight should be given to the requirements relating to the use of public resources for the competitions with the aim of ensuring transparency, efficiency and social control of investment. The host country for these competitions acts as the provider of the stipulated requirements through contracts between the entity, federal government and venues. Another important point to note is that the public effort to meet such requirements is rewarded by international visibility, plus the incorporation of expertise and technological gains.

Research conducted by the Ministry of Sports shows that the impact of the 2014 World Cup for the Brazilian economy may be near R$ 183 billion, most of which (73%) will be in the form of indirect effects for the economy. The 2014 World Cup will not only act as a catalyst, inducing faster progress on construction and infrastructure projects, but will also offer Brazil many opportunities in terms of its economic, sporting, and sociocultural effects. This is an opportunity for us to improve city planning with sustainable urban complexes, find solutions to the problems of metropolitan mobility, improve quality in the service sector, modernize our hotel network, restructure our ports and airports, upgrade our infrastructure for tourism, revitalize our historic cities and encourage the expression of Brazil's cultural diversity, all of which were aims already held before the event, but which will represent a significant legacy if they are accomplished.

In terms of infrastructure, the greatest of our challenges refers to urban mobility and accessibility. The Cup can and should contribute to a sustainable solution for urban mobility that will be metropolitan, multimodal and integrated, thus an opportunity to raise the quality of public transport long-term for Brazilians. As a major stadium for the event, Arena Fonte Nova is also a key part of structure for Bahia's state government. This modern, safe and comfortable stadium will be multifunctional and thus ensure Salvador's place on the international entertainment circuit too.

On the human capital side, the most important of the legacies from the World Cup, Bahia's State Secretary for 2014 World Cup Affairs (Secopa) plans to mobilize all qualifying institutions, public and private, for the challenge of training and qualifying local people in Bahia to acquire the abilities and skills essential for welcoming tourists, but particularly to provide options for employability and making a living after the World Cup. In relation to the institutional legacy, I would highlight a recent agreement between the state government and the municipality of Salvador to set up a UNIFIED ORGANIZING COMMITTEE as a joint monitoring body articulating with FIFA/LOC and all entities responsible for different aspects of preparing for the event.

Given the clearly stated objectives for Bahia's project, the state may legitimately claim the role of hosting the opening and/or closing of the Confederations Cup and holding the opening events for the 2014 World Cup. Its ambitions in this sense are sustained by its cultural and civilization representativeness, and the favourable development of the 2104 World Cup Program in Bahia. There are two major goals that we hope to accomplish with the 2014 World Cup. May our winning the World Cup, as an expression of our passion for soccer, and our winning with the World Cup be our greatest sources of motivation to pursue opportunities and benefits, as aims assimilated by society in Bahia.

Ney Campello is State Secretary for 2014 World Cup Brazil Affairs, of the State Government of Bahia.
e-mail: ney.campello@secopa.ba.gov.br