Coe working closely with Rio counterparts

Sebastian Coe is telling organizers of the Rio 2016 Olympics - and even bidding cities - not to underestimate the difficulty of delivering the Olympics, particularly in difficult budget times.

Coe, who heads the organizing committee for the 2012 London Olympics, was in Mexico on Thursday talking with officials of the Pan American Sports Organization, which is holding meetings this week in the coastal city of Merida.

Coe said he is working closely with the Brazilian team that is putting together the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

``I really don't think they need a massive amount of advice from us,'' Coe said in an interview with The Associated Press. ``But the points I always make to any city that is undertaking this is not to underestimate the complexity. This is the most complex piece of project management any city undertakes.''

Coe said he had developed a close relationship with Carlos Nuzman, the Brazilian IOC member who heads the Rio organizing committee.

``Get out of the traps early,'' Coe advised. ``Seven years sounds a long time, but it's not. ... Few cities will ever be stretched in the way an Olympic city is.''

Brazil is also holding the 2014 World Cup, and sports minister Orlando Silva warned late last month that construction of new stadiums - and refurbishing old ones - was behind schedule. He cautioned that some of the 12 cities approved to host matches could be excluded from the World Cup.

Coe expressed confidence that Brazil could juggle both gigantic events.

``I see no reason why those shouldn't both be spectacular events in a continent that needs events to inspire the next generation,'' Coe said.

Coe said the London Olympics, which are nearing the two-year countdown, were on time and on budget with a vacant, run-down area in east London beginning to show the effect of a $14 billion construction budget.

``Particularly in the last year the skyline in east London has profoundly changed,'' Coe said. ``I think people are really beginning to see - not just an extraordinary sporting landscape, but sport driving a much bigger regeneration program.''

A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Coe said London organizers are trying to capture some of the best features of recent Olympics - the party atmosphere in Sydney, the organization in Beijing and the spirit of Barcelona.

``The beauty of the Olympic movement is no games should try to copy the previous one,'' Coe said. ``For me it's always been about creating London in its own image, and I think we have a great opportunity to do that. As an organizer I want to take from all those best experiences.''

Although London organizers have been working through the worst economic downturn since the war, Coe said 72 percent of the approximately $3 billion operating budget had been raised.

``We all recognize in which ever part of the world we are living in, that there are pressures on budgets, both public and private. You just have to deliver in a smart way.''

Coe stressed Olympic preparations would not be affected by Thursday's general election in Britain.

``We've worked extraordinarily hard in Britain to maintain cross-party support so that if - and when - there is a change of government, that should not cause us any particular problem.''