Olympics-Bid chief Nuzman to head Rio 2016 Games organising team

COPENHAGEN Oct 3 (Reuters) - Carlos Nuzman, leader of Rio de Janeiro's successful bid to stage the 2016 Olympics, announced on Saturday he would now head the organising committee for the Games.

Rio was chosen by the International Olympic Committee on Friday to stage the first Olympics in South America. They beat off rival bids from Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago.

Nuzman, an International Olympic Committee member, said there would be a smooth transition between the bidding organisation and the committee organising the Games.

"We delivered a letter to the IOC from three levels of government that, with Rio winning on Oct 2, from Oct 3 it will be myself -- and the secretary general will be Carlos Osorio," he told reporters.

Osorio was also secretary general of the bid team.

"The team needs no transition from bid to organising committee. The IOC president (Jacques Rogge) was told on Oct 1," said Nuzman.

Rio won a record-equally 66 IOC votes in the third and final elimination round of the ballot on Friday, beating their last opponent Madrid who received 32. Only Athens, who also polled 66 in the final round of voting in 1997 for the 2004 Games, have reached that figure.

RELAXING PERIOD

"We already had the first meeting with the IOC. They told us to relax," said Nuzman. "We will enter a period of relaxing and that will finish with the first meeting with the IOC in Rio in the middle of November."

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a key figure in the bid victory, had said after Friday's vote that Brazilians would have to "sleep less and work more" to produce a successful Games.

Osorio said concerns that preparations for the 2014 soccer World Cup in Brazil could clash with plans for the Olympics just two years later were unfounded.

The IOC had noted in its evaluation report before Friday's vote that the soccer tournament could affect Games sponsorship plans as the two major events were so close together.

But Osorio said the World Cup would be an advantage for Rio as it would offer a unique chance to test operations and make improvements for the Games two years later.

"The coordination between the World Cup and the Olympics started with the preparation of our bid book," Osorio said.

"We laid out the World Cup plans and the Olympic plans to take advantage of all synergies possible. You can be sure Brazil will take full advantage of having those events so close together." (Editing by Paul Radford, To comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)