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FOREWORD BY THOMAS BACHPRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEEThe final countdown has begun to the Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro 2016. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is focused on making the first ever Olympic Games to be held in South America a great success. New venues have been completed, while existing venues have been repurposed. Meanwhile, in an early sign of the legacy that the Olympic Games will leave behind, a sophisticated Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system that will link the four Olympic venue clusters has already played a key role in transforming Rio de Janeiro’s transport system. It will increase access to high-capacity transport for Rio de Janeiro’s population from 19 per cent to 63 per cent in 2016. It is just one example of the tremendous legacy the Olympic Games will leave.The population of the city, the Cariocas, are already showing their enthusiasm. Large numbers of people have turned out to watch the test events that got under way this summer and will continue until May 2016. Meanwhile, an educational programme, “Transforma”, intended to promote Olympic values in the city’s schools was launched in 2014 and so far has reached more than 700,000 pupils in lower and middle schools. While the IOC has Rio de Janeiro firmly in its sights, it is also looking ahead to future editions of the Olympic Games, its vision strongly enhanced by the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020. The IOC is actively engaged in planning and preparations for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and now the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.Beijing joined the list of future host cities on 31 July, when it was awarded the Olympic Winter Games 2022 by the IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Although the bid process for 2022 began well before the IOC approved Olympic Agenda 2020 in late 2014, the reforms in the IOC’s new strategic roadmap had a swift and positive impact on the 2022 candidates. Beijing took advantage of the flexibility provided by Olympic Agenda 2020 to improve its Games plans and reduce costs. Beijing’s proposed budget for investments in Olympic Villages, sports venues and other Games-related projects totals USD 1.5 billion — significantly less than for Olympic Winter Games in the past. The IOC will contribute approximately USD 880 million towards the success of the Games.Meanwhile, the list of Youth Olympic Games (YOG) hosts gained a new name at the recent IOC Session when Lausanne, the Swiss “Capitale Olympique”, home to the IOC since 1915, was elected to host the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020. With the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 we have also achieved a milestone for the Olympic Movement – the sports programme will be the first to have complete gender equality with 1,893 women and 1,893 men competing.Cities seeking to host the 2024 Olympic Games will be the first to receive the full benefits of Olympic Agenda 2020. They are already experiencing an entirely new phase in the host city selection process, the Invitation Phase. During this period, cities with an interest in hosting the Games are able to open a dialogue with the IOC to learn more about the selection process and the potential benefits of a bid. The Invitation Phase reflects a major shift in approach that has made the selection process much more collaborative, fostering a conversation between the IOC and the candidate cities rather than an IOC-led examination.Thanks to the changes introduced by Olympic Agenda 2020, we are looking forward to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and future editions of the Olympic Games, confident that they will provide the best possible conditions for the world’s top athletes to pursue their dreams and achieve their best. ■Top right Beijing was chosen as the host city for the Olympic Winter Games in 2022OLYMPIC REVIEW 7PRESIDENT BACH FOREWORD