{"id":1982,"date":"2016-02-01T14:56:55","date_gmt":"2016-02-01T14:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/?p=1982"},"modified":"2016-02-01T15:01:12","modified_gmt":"2016-02-01T15:01:12","slug":"ultimate-ambassador-rio-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/ultimate-ambassador-rio-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"Being the ultimate ambassador for Rio and the Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Maria<\/a>

Maria Esther Bueno with a replica of the Olympic Torch<\/p><\/div>\n

You may have noticed that tennis ambassador Maria Esther Bueno is widely promoting the coming Rio Open in February as well as the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.<\/p>\n

In addition to her on-going role as an analyst for TV Globo\/SporTV, she has been appointed ambassador for several supporting sponsors, including Bradesco, Rolex and now Pirelli alongside her unique relationship with the Rio Olympic Organising Committee, who recently named the main show court in the new Olympic Tennis Centre in the Olympic Park \u2018Quadra Maria Esther Bueno\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"Maria<\/a>

Maria Esther Bueno with the plaque naming the Olympic tennis show court in Rio de Janeiro<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI am very thrilled to be associated with all these prestigious organisations ahead of the Olympics in Rio,\u201d Maria told her website last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach of these sponsors are playing a crucial part in supporting tennis in Brazil, for which we are very grateful. If I can help promote their work, then I am happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

\"bradesco_v_rgb\"<\/a><\/b>Bradesco Ambassador<\/b><\/h2>\n

Bradesco is one of the biggest banking and financial services companies in Brazil and, together with Bradesco Seguros, became the first national sponsor of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with exclusive rights in the Finance and Insurance Services categories.<\/p>\n

The partnership has resulted in both sporting success and, more importantly, social achievements.<\/p>\n

One of the most significant examples of Bradesco\u2019s commitment to sports was seen the moment Rio de Janeiro bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.<\/p>\n

In addition to sponsoring this world event, Bradesco also supports six Sports Federations, reaffirming its commitment to the country and contributing to athletes and citizens for a Brazil of modernity, work and growth.<\/p>\n

\"Bradesco's<\/a>

Bradesco’s congratulatory poster on the naming of the Olympic tennis stadium<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI am one of several Bradesco ambassadors, all from different sports, and we have been together at several Olympic test events, which has been great fun,\u201d said Maria.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are helping to publicise many aspects of the Olympics through personal appearances ahead of its opening in August, particularly the Torch relay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bradesco is one of three companies sponsoring the Olympic Torch Relay that will cross Brazil\u2019s 26 states visiting 250 towns and cities before arriving in Rio de Janeiro.<\/p>\n

The torch\u2019s progress and arrival play a significant part in the buildup to the Games, helping to boost enthusiasm among domestic audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe torch is a powerful symbol of the Olympic Games that generates huge excitement wherever it goes,\u201d added Maria. \u201cI saw it in London and I am sure it will also happen here.<\/p>\n

\u201cBradesco has adopted a similar campaign to that of London-based Lloyds Bank, who used the sponsorship to promote community values and its nationwide reach with the slogan \u2018for the journey\u2019 and it was very successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"'We<\/a>

‘We are nominated to be bearers of the Torch BRA’ [Photo Gaspar N\u00f3brega \/ Inovafoto]<\/p><\/div>The torch will be carried by at least 10,000 people across more than 12,000 miles (20,000 kilometers), and will fly about 10,000 miles over Brazil before the cauldron is lit at the opening ceremony in the Maracana Stadium on 5 August, 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very proud to have helped Bradesco launch the Olympic Torch Relay, which starts in earnest ahead of the Rio Olympic Games on 3 May 2016 in Brasilia,\u201d said Maria.<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect the torch bearers for the final stages of the relay will be a very well kept secret until the day the Rio Olympics start!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Logo_Pirelli.svg\"<\/a>Pirelli Ambassador<\/b><\/h2>\n

Pirelli is a host sponsor of the Rio Open 2016 at which the Brazilian subsidiary will be entertaining guests and promoting its calendar using Maria through appearances and short film promos.<\/p>\n

The world famous 2016 Pirelli calendar<\/a> was shot by the renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, who departed from a tradition established over 50 years ago. The distinguished women she photographed represent how much things have changed in the half century since the calendar first appeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cSerena Williams is one of those incredible women featured in the calendar,\u201d says Maria. \u201cIt recognises that she is probably the greatest female athlete of all time who changed the face of our sport.<\/p>\n

\"Snip20160201_1\"<\/a>\u201cUnconventional, she came from a poor background, learned to play on crummy public courts, and has been a force in women\u2019s tennis for almost two decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is also an International Goodwill Ambassador to Unicef focusing on education and founded her own foundation to assist young people affected by violent crime that also provides educational grants to high school students around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd she is just one of the 12 remarkable women in the calendar. The others are Yoko Ono, Kathleen Kennedy, Patti Smith, Mellody Hobson, Yao Chen, Fran Lebowitz, Amy Schumer, Agnes Gunn and Sadie Rain Hope-Gunn, Shirin Neshat, Tavi Gevinson and Natalia Vodianova, and they all look really amazing!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Annie<\/a>

Annie Leibovitz in New York, 2012<\/p><\/div>\n

Annie Leibovitz says on the Pirelli Calendar website<\/a>: \u201cThis calendar is so different. It\u2019s a whole different concept. Pirelli gave me that freedom. They said \u2018we want to do a departure\u2019. Every single day we photographed, I was more empowered by these women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pirelli has also sponsored the recent restoration of the Statue of Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) on Corcovado, the best tourist experiences in Rio de Janeiro.<\/p>\n

Carrying out intricate repairs to a giant hand of Christ is not in the usual run of affairs for the Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli, but when the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue was struck by lightning, Pirelli stepped in to finance the restoration work.<\/p>\n

The repairs came just ahead of Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup, and, with millions of tourists expected, it was a cultural imperative to have the statue safe and looking its best.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a monument like this, that hosts two million guests a year \u2013 probably three million in 2014 \u2013 damage cannot be left unattended,\u201d said Paolo Dal Pino, President of Pirelli South America, at the time.<\/p>\n