But the creative aspects are excluded from this process and will be the object of a future selection phase, restricted to Brazilian talent, which gives an early idea of what we can expect from the Ceremonies in Rio. 

Bidders are asked to register on the Rio 2016 official site and will be required to prove prior experience in the production of Olympic or Paralympic Ceremonies.

The winner will be selected by an Evaluation Commission formed by members of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, representatives of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other experts yet to be announced.

The first presentation to be produced by the Organising Committee is a show of approximately eight-minutes during the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, in just over a year, when the Olympic Flag will be handed over to the Mayor of Rio.

The London 2012 handover event in Beijing three years ago featured singer Leona Lewis, who partnered with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, to perform Whola Lotta Love.

The ceremony also featured former England captain David Beckham kicking footballs into the crowd from the top of a red double-decker bus.


The executive production company will be involved in other large projects besides the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Rio 2016 Games, including the delivery of the Paralympic Flag at the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the Tour of the Olympic and Paralympic Flags, the Live Sites in Brazil and at 15 international locations, the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay, the medal ceremonies during the Games, the reception of the Delegations at the Olympic and Paralympic Villages and the sports presentations during the Rio 2016 Games.

The Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Games involved 20,000 professionals, 30,000 fireworks, 300,000 lighting devices with an estimated global audience of two billion people.

The winning firm, or consortium, will plan and manage all the technical and administrative aspects of the Rio 2016 Ceremonies and Large Events, including the development of the production schedule, the organisation chart, the budget, personnel contracting and management and the ceremonies and events production, Rio 2016 said.

Among the tasks related to the ceremonies are the design and management of a logistics plan, operational plans, identification of the production and rehearsals sites, development and management of an accreditation database and the assembly and removal of all stage items, scenarios, props and costumes.

The winning firm or consortium will also involve and supervise other production companies, in a process that will multiply Olympic mega–event expertise throughout the Brazilian market.

The winner will also take part in audience involvement programmes with the purpose of creating high spectator engagement.

These will be developed jointly with the International Federations, along the period of four years preceding the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The selection process will be open to Brazilian and international bidders and the establishment of consortia will be allowed to enable two or more companies to combine their qualifications in order to meet the participation criteria.

If selected, international bidders will be required to establish a branch office in Brazil and to assure professional qualification and development of Brazilian talent as a legacy of the Rio 2016 Games.


"The events and ceremonies will be critical components of the spectator experience, and an essential tool to awaken the interest of the largest number of people possible for the Rio 2016 Games," said Leonardo Gryner, the chief executive of Rio 2016.

"Projects such as the Olympic and Paralympic Flag Tour and the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay will result in greater public engagement and participation throughout Brazil.

"The ceremonies will convey images of Brazil that will be remembered forever all around the world, and it is critical to partner with a top level organisation in their production.

"This is why we will select highly qualified suppliers, and work with the best Brazilian and international professionals."

Gryner said that the evaluation of proposals will take into account alignment with the Rio 2016 strategy; full understanding of the project scope; planning, control and governance methodology; commitment to Rio 2016 inclusion and sustainability policies; the proposed production team; the solution designed to ensure compliance and continuity of the services in any circumstance; and the commercial proposal.

The firms and consortia shortlisted will be announced on May 5 and invited to a briefing in Rio.

The finalists will be chosen by the end of June with the winner chosen on August 31.