RIO DE JANEIRO -- The IOC evaluation team said it was "very impressed" with Rio de Janeiro's bid to host the 2016 Olympics as it wrapped up its weeklong tour of the city on Saturday.
"We have been most impressed to find what Rio has to offer to the Olympic movement," International Olympic Committee chairwoman Nawal el Moutawakel said at a press conference. "During our stay we witnessed the leadership of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and the unity of all three levels of government."
Asked to list the positive and negative aspects of the inspection tour she responded: "All I can say is that everything we saw was positive."
The IOC team spent five days inspecting sports venues and media facilities, along with plans for security, transportation and the overall infrastructure of the city. Pele gave the bid a push on Friday.
"They (the committee's members) were enchanted by the city's beauty and were very receptive," Pele told reporters.
He urged the inspection committee to "support us" because South America has never hosted the Olympic Games.
El Moutawakel praised the plans for the Barra da Tijuca area, which is considered the heart of the city's bid. The suburb would host the athletes' and media villages and contain the biggest cluster of venues.
"Our work is to be the eyes and ears of the IOC members," she said. "And we have seen so many valuable venues that Brazilians can be proud of, such as the legacy of the Pan American Games," that Rio hosted in 2007.
She suggested the World Cup, which Brazil will host in 2014, could have a positive impact on Rio's bid, because it could "serve as a test."
On Saturday the committee and local authorities addressed security issues, which "for us is a top priority, and we were assured that all that can be done will be done to make Rio a safe city for the games," she said.
The IOC team goes next to Madrid, the last stop on the four-city tour of candidate cities.
Chicago and Tokyo have already been looked over in a bidding race that will end on Oct. 2 in Copenhagen when IOC members choose the winning venue in a secret ballot.