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Janeiro is determined to make the most of the opportunity to be seen as the best city to live, work and visit in the southern hemisphere. The city’s natural beauty and iconic landmarks such as Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain, not to mention the local hospitality, are already a magnet for large numbers of tourists. However, Rio de Janeiro’s goal is now to become a highly functional, efficient and modern city.The transformation of Rio de Janeiro into an Olympic host city started with the regeneration of the port area, one of the city’s most historical locations. One of the first completed projects of the ongoing cultural transformation in the port area was the Rio Museum of Art, which opened in 2013. It will soon be joined by the pioneering Museum of Tomorrow – dedicated to the sciences and designed by the renowned Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava – to create a rejuvenated cultural area that is already attracting local people. “The city will become even more marvellous than it already is,” said Rio resident Everaldo Costa Mendes. “Our sons will be even prouder to say, ‘I’m carioca’.”Perhaps one of the most striking moments in the renovation of Rio’s port area, however, came in November 2013 with the demolition of the “Perimetral” viaduct – an elevated concrete highway built in the 1950s that had condemned much of the region to the shadows and blocked the sea view. In its place, two underground tunnels are being built to help improve the city’s traffic flow.But while the city prepares itself for the practicalities of hosting the Olympic Games, the Rio 2016 Organising Committee is busy preparing the ground on various other fronts, including engaging with the Brazilian public – something considered vital to the event’s success. One of the most important strands of this project is an educational programme called “Transforma”, which was launched in 2014 and is taking the Games into the city’s schools, giving young people the chance to experience the Olympic values first-hand. Transforma activities are currently being run in 2,135 public and private schools in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, involving more than 700,000 pupils in lower and middle schools. The programme was formally integrated into the public education system last year.The cornerstones of the programme are sports training schemes, aimed at “I’m confident that the Olympic Games in Brazil will be a success. Just as the country delivered an event as complex as the [FIFA] World Cup, it can deliver the Olympic Games to the same level. They are the two biggest sporting events in the world. And the energy of Brazil and Rio is special. For any athletes who compete in the Games here, it’s going to be an unforgettable experience. For us players who speak Spanish and other Latin languages, we feel at home, and Latin America understands and is passionate about sport. The fans’ support is something special.”“Today we have an international coach, we can train for periods outside the country and we will participate in the leading competitions, and that’s all because we have received more investment as a result of the Olympic Games. We want this reality to be maintained after the Games and for more young people to become interested in playing sports. This is the legacy we expect from the Olympic Games.”Wh h ltes syRAFAEL NADAL(ESP, TENNIS)TESS OLIVEIRA (BRA, WATER POLO)“Rio is an amazing city, I believe the passion of the people and the beautiful locations will make the Games very special.”LIN DAN (CHN, BADMINTON)RightThe Olympic Equestrian Centre was opened in August‘THE CITY WILL BECOME EVEN MORE MARVELLOUS. OUR SONS WILL BE EVEN PROUDER TO SAY, “I’M CARIOCA”’EVERALDO COSTA MENDES, RIO RESIDENT