New-look sailing venue for Rio 2016 opens doors to public

“Before, the Marina da Glória did not welcome locals. Today, it is a new, revitalised space with its arms wide open for visitors.”

The new-look venue for the sailing events of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games is now fully open to the public and ready for competition. On Thursday (7 April) city authorities unveiled the modernised Marina da Glória, following a BRL 70 million (EUR 17.1m) refit.

As well as being expanded and redesigned, the marina has been completely integrated with Flamengo Park, one of the most popular leisure areas in Rio de Janeiro. The marina’s waterfront boardwalk, which used to be accessible only to boat owners, is now open to the public and will be connected to the park.

“Before, the Marina da Glória did not welcome locals. Today, it is a new, revitalised space with its arms wide open for visitors,” said Marco Aurélio Sá Ribeiro, President of the Brazilian sailing confederation.

Located on Guanabara Bay, Marina da Glória has already hosted two test events, in August 2014 and August 2015. The Rio 2016 Organising Committee will take over the site on 13 July, ahead of the Olympic regattas in August and the Paralympic competitions in September.

“We have complied with our commitments, ahead of time. The facility we are handing over is ready. Our focus now will be on operations,” Ricardo Leyser, Brazilian Minister of Sports, said.

As part of the renovation, the capacity of the venue has been significantly increased. The number of berths in the water has gone from 140 to 415 and the number of dry stacks has increased from 70 to 240.

The marina’s jetties have been redesigned, new electricity and water infrastructure installed and a modern pavilion for athletes has been completed. A car park with space for 470 cars has been built and security for the boats has been improved.

As well as the investment in new sailing facilities, the marina now contains an extensive leisure area for the general public, including four restaurants, a delicatessen, bicycle path and bike racks. After the Paralympic Games, the venue will be used for sports, cultural events and entertainment. The marina will also offer sailing and diving courses as well as boat rentals and will have a special area for fishing.

“As well as hosting the sailing events of the Rio 2016 Games, the city wants to bring the public back to the Marina,” Eduardo Paes, mayor of Rio de Janeiro, said.

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Sport fans from around the world can now buy their Paralympic tickets for Rio 2016 from authorised ticket resellers (ATRs).

The IPC’s Global ATR is Jet Set Sports, and Rio 2016 tickets and packages can be purchased on the CoSport website.

Residents of Brazil can buy 2016 Paralympics tickets directly from the Rio 2016 website.