Rio De Janeiro, May 19: Rio De Janeiro's elimination from the race for the 2012 Olympics was a ''monstrous surprise'' and could be a knock-on effect of the struggle to get Athens ready for this year's games, officials said. Sports Minister Agnelo Queiroz labelled the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision political, while the city was left to reflect on whether its soaring crime rate was a decisive factor in its failure to make the shortlist of five candidates.
But officials did not appear to believe the possibility of Brazil staging the 2014 Soccer World Cup was an influence.
The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) expected better luck this time after Rio failed to make the shortlist in bidding for the 2004 Games, while Brasilia pulled out of the race to host the 2000 Olympics before the final vote.
''This was a monstrous surprise for us. It wasn't just a bucket of cold water, it was a complete shower,'' said COB technical director Marcus Vinicius Freire yesterday. ''Brazil had a very well designed project and we didn't expect this at all.''

COB president Carlos Nuzman said: ''Maybe the delays in Athens could have hurt the candidature of an emerging nation. It's a surprise and disappointment,'' he told Brazilian television from Lausanne.

''It was one of the best projects, all the specialised (web)sites had Rio as one of the top four.''



Nuzman said he expected the 2012 games to be in Europe, which would open the way for South America to host its first Olympics four years later.



''I'm announcing that Brazil has to present a candidature for 2016,'' he added. ''The question of (which) city has to be analysed.”


Bureau Report