The International Olympic Committee recently unveiled the official logo for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Among those giving the logo a thumbs up is IOC president Jacques Rogge, who says, “I think it is very aesthetic.  It is very innovative and very creative.  I like it very much.  You can see all kinds of things in the logo, you can see Rio, you can see Copacabana beach, you can see the mountain, you can see the sea, you can see the sun …”

Sports fans will be seeing a lot of Brazil during the next five years.  The football-crazy country will also be hosting the 2014 World Cup, soccer’s premier international competition.  In terms of television viewing audience, the World Cup is the most popular sporting event on the globe, bigger than even the Olympics.  The International Football Federation, FIFA, described the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as the most watched television event in history, with more than 26 billion people tuning in to matches during the month-long tournament.

Brazilian Football Fan

The 2014 World Cup promises to be a big month-long party, and I’m sure those Brazilian fans will be singing, dancing and cheering on their beloved national team, the most successful World Cup squad in history, with a record five trophies to its credit.

And two years after the World Cup, Brazil will raise the curtain on the Olympics in Rio.  The 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics – two big sports competitions and two big festive events, and Brazil is staging both samba parties.