Ex-British PM Blair gives advice to Rio Olympic organizers

SAO PAULO — Tony Blair told Rio de Janeiro Olympic organizers on Tuesday that they need to focus on a legacy that goes beyond sports, making sure the games bring benefits to the city well after 2016. "It cannot be just about the three weeks of the games," the former British prime minister said. "There is no point doing the games if there isn't a sense that something is being built for the long term." Blair, who was crucial in helping London win the bid for the 2012 Games, made the comments at a seminar with business leaders and Brazilian government authorities in Sao Paulo. He said one of the most important benefits of hosting major events is not only improving infrastructure and building top-notch sporting facilities, but also to encourage the use of sports to aid local communities. "Part of the legacy is about what sport can do to society," he said. "Sport today is far more important that just sport itself. It can be used as a great anti-crime policy, a great health policy." Blair said he hopes the London Games will provide youngsters the opportunity to discover sport and learn what it can do to their lives. He said that when you get young people involved in sport, it is much more than just the sporting activity itself, many times it is through sport that kids will learn basic social skills for the first time. "That's what we are trying to instill in our kids, and what you will want to try to instill in yours," he said. Blair also noted it will be important for Rio to find ways to balance the investments from the public and private sectors, and that an adequate upgrade in Brazil's transportation system will be essential so it can successfully host the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup. "The London Games are inspiring to us," Brazil Sports Minister Orlando Silva said. "Brazil will try to organize a historic event and we will look to the experiences abroad to help reach our goal." Rio de Janeiro Gov. Sergio Cabral said preparations for the 2016 Games are going well and that the International Olympic Committee is pleased with how things are going so far. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes said the city is still planning most of the spending for the games and that it won't be until next year that the exact budget figures will become available. Blair said that it's normal for the final budget to differ significantly from the initial figures in events as big as the Olympics. – AP