News As the biggest sporting event in the world, the Rio 2016 Games is a major logistical operation Between the two events, the Olympic and Paralympic Games will bring together more than 15,000 athletes from 205 countries around the globe to take part in nearly 700 contests across 42 Olympic sports and 23 Paralympic sports To help facilitate the movement of people to and from these events, from Rio 2016 staff to spectators, two companies belonging to LATAM Airlines – TAM Linhas Aereas (TAM Airlines) and TAM Viagens (TAM Travel) – have agreed to become sponsors of the Rio 2016 Games TAM Linhas Aereas will be the official airline for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and TAM Viagens will be responsible for the 2016 Olympic Games National Hospitality and Travel Programme Along with their sales agent, IMM, TAM Viagens will have the exclusive right to sell Olympic Games hospitality packages in Brazilian territory, offering special itineraries within Brazil, including everything from air transport to accommodation, land transfers and the sale of tickets to watch the Games Announcing the partnership in São Paulo on Monday (29), the President of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, said, "We are pleased to have the support of two companies who are leaders in the Brazilian travel and transport industries in our mission to deliver an excellent and memorable Games The extensive reach and expertise of TAM and TAM Viagens will be a great help to us in the task of providing an outstanding experience for the thousands of tourists who will come to Rio for the biggest sporting event on the planet ”LATAM Airlines Group S A is one of the largest airline groups in the world, with a fleet of 315 aircraft providing passenger transport services to approximately 135 destinations in 24 countries, and cargo services to about 144 destinations in 26 countries  TAM Linhas Aereas will also be responsible for transporting the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch, which will depart from Greece and pass through several Brazilian cities on its way to Rio de Janeiro  TAM's President, Claudia Sender, and the President of Rio 2016, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, celebrate the company's commitment to support next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games (Photo: Caue Diniz) "We are the official airline of this great event We are well prepared and are honoured to have been given the responsibility of connecting people to the Games We stand for quality and safety, working to the highest standards of excellence and providing a responsive, effective and complete service to our passengers, 24 hours a day," said Claudia Sender, Chief Executive of TAM SA and TAM Linhas Aéreas   National Hospitality and Travel Programme:  the complete Olympic experienceTAM Viagens will provide a complete Olympic experience, with tickets for sporting events and hospitality passes, land transport services and more The company will be the only one authorized to provide such packages in Brazilian territory TAM Viagens will use the sports and entertainment company, IMM, as their exclusive sales agent for the Programme IMM is experienced in hospitality for major events and sporting championships and was responsible for selling hospitality packages for the 2012 London Olympics "We went to the market in search of companies who we felt were up to the task of offering a secure and efficient hospitality service, and providing the unique and quality experience our visitors deserve," said Renato Ciuchini, Commercial CEO for the Rio 2016 Organising Committee Marcelo Decem, Executive Director of TAM Viagens, added, "All of TAM Viagens’ expertise will be on offer to help Brazilians make the most of this special time for our country Our customers will have access to a streamlined service where all the steps in their journey can be arranged in a single purchase, with the help of the best service partners, as well as support from our consultants every step of the way ”Sales will begin in October and packages for the Rio 2016 Games will first be available to the corporate market, with a period pre-sale reservations beginning on July 6 offering priority to companies wishing to secure their itineraries and tickets in advance The packages will be marketed exclusively via TAM Viagens’ marketing channels