News The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has praised the Rio 2016 Organising Committee and its government partners for their teamwork in delivering the first test events, which are showing their “capacity to deliver outstanding Olympic Games next year” As the ninth and penultimate IOC Coordination Commission (CoCom) meeting came to an end in Rio, the governing body of the Olympic Movement also said the unity showed by the Games organisers was laying the foundations for an important Olympic legacy in the city CoCom Chair Nawal El Moutawakel said: “We have been delighted with the unity of spirit and mission that is driving ‘Team Brazil’ to deliver a successful first wave of test events We have already seen excellent volleyball, triathlon, rowing and equestrian events, with more exciting sport to come over the next few weeks ”El Moutawakel, the 400m hurdles champion at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games, pointed out that International Sports Federations and athletes had been full of praise for the test events staged so far, adding: “This demonstrates the organisers’ capacity to deliver outstanding Olympic Games next year ”The Moroccan repeated the assertion of IOC President Thomas Bach last week that Rio would enjoy the biggest Olympic legacy since Barcelona in 1992 “Work to deliver important infrastructure and social legacies like the venues, public transport improvements, and educational initiatives continues at full speed,” said El Moutawakel “I believe that people will speak of a Rio and a Brazil before the Games and a Rio and a Brazil after the Games ”Nawal El Moutawakel takes a selfie inside the Olympic Aquatics Stadium (Photo: Rio 2016/Alexandre Loureiro) The Coordination spent three days being updated on Games preparations by Rio 2016 and its partners in the federal, state and city governments, as well as visiting competition sites around the city The IOC noted the “significant progress” made at Barra Olympic Park and the Olympic Golf Course since their last visit in February and the sporting legacy that these venues will leave El Moutawakel stressed that “a tremendous amount of work remains to be completed” but said it was clear that, due to the test events, organisers had undergone a shift of mindset with the principal focus now on “how to deliver the most memorable, joyful experience for all participants” In the press conference at the end of the meetings, El Moutawakel was asked about the quality of water at Olympic venues, and responded with confidence “The IOC gives the highest priority to the health of athletes and our friends at this table are doing their upmost to ensure that the issue of water quality is dealt with so that the athletes can compete in a safe environment ”Christophe Dubi, the IOC Executive Director of Olympic Games, responded to a question regarding the recent case involving members of the US rowing team who fell ill after the test event at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, saying: “We have to rely on the declarations from USA Rowing, which clarified the matter and said there was no evidence that it was connected to the water, they were very clear on that Then FISA, the International Rowing Federation, declared that if they compared the number of cases to any of their other events, the number of athletes being sick is about the same So it seems to be a normal situation ”All levels of government were represented during the CoCom meetings, with state governor Luiz Fernando Pezão and city mayor Eduardo Paes personally underlining their commitment to the success of the Games The Brazilian Olympic Committee shared its plans to prepare a competitive home team and extend the elite sporting legacy of the Games to future editions Rio 2016 President Carlos Arthur Nuzman said: “This was the most important Coordination Commission that we have had so far I say this because of the advanced state of our preparations and the ever increasing integration between the IOC, Rio 2016 and our partners in the federal, state and city governments ”Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman (L) at the Future Arena, which will host handball and goalball during the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and then be dismounted and used to construct four public schools (Photo: Rio 2016/Alexndre Loureiro)