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International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach says he had no fears that Brazil’s World Cup humiliation will sour the atmosphere ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
“I don’t think so,” Bach told reporters on Wednesday when asked if Brazilians would turn against the Olympics in the wake of their failed World Cup campaign, which saw them suffer an historic 7-1 thrashing by Germany in the semi-finals.
The German said that he had personal experience of how people rebound from a loss, recalling his homeland’s last-gasp 2-0 loss to Italy in the 2006 World Cup semi-finals on home turf.
Former Olympic fencing champion Bach was a member of the organising committee of the 2006 tournament, and saw Germany exit after back-to-back Italian goals just before the final whistle.
“There, it was even more dramatic, it was in the very last minute of extra time, so the disappointment was very sudden and very big,” he said.
“I can full understand that today in Brazil there will be this day of mourning, but the Brazilians are very optimistic people and they know that after each defeat there is a new victory waiting for you. I’m sure they will grasp this opportunity,” he added.
Bach spoke after a three-day meeting of the IOC’s executive board, which included a session on Rio’s preparations, at the Olympic body’s headquarters in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
Like Brazil’s readiness for the World Cup, which was widely criticised for being last-minute, its Olympic plans have repeatedly been in the spotlight.
In addition, the cost of hosting such mega-events and building the necessary infrastructure has become a sharply political issue in Brazil, sparking massive street protests in the run-up to the World Cup.
Bach, however, said Brazil had shown its mettle as an organising nation for the World Cup and he was confident it would do so again in 2016.
“We can really see that there is a great dynamism in their preparations, in particular the city of Rio de Janeiro, the mayor and the governor, have taken action on the government side and are making progress with regard to different venues,” Bach said.
“It was altogether an encouraging report, also at the same time indicating that we have to stay vigilant and there is still no time to lose.”