Held over two days, the workshop gave participants the opportunity to discuss various issues related to the organisation of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, such as sustainability, accessibility and education.

"This workshop is an important part of us continuing to have open dialogue with civil society - it is an open space for receiving suggestions and criticisms about everything," said Tânia Braga, Rio 2016's sustainability, accessibility and legacy manager.

"It's very important that we have this exchange with society and know when we're going in the right direction and where we can be better."

"Our doors are open to welcome more organisations each time.

"The more participants we have, the higher will be the standard of our discussions," added Braga, who admitted that Rio 2016 are hoping to have more participants for the third workshop, scheduled for the "second half" of 2015.

The workshop followed a similar one held in the host city in December ©Rio 2016/Alex Ferro



Child protection, the social impact of the Games and the need to increase education about sustainability were some areas that received suggestions for improvement by the organisations.

Training the 70,000 Games volunteers, demands for accessibility improvements in the city's hotels and an initiative for workforce and spectators to use public transport for 100 per cent of their journeys, were all highlighted as positives.

"It's a very important space for dialogue and the format of the discussions allows for a real exchange of information," said Ana Luiza Silva of the Instituto Ethos, which aims to promote socially responsible behaviour by corporations and institution.

"It's very good to see that the committee wants to hear society.

"We hope to see more participants in the future."

Silva also took part in the first workshop in December 2013, which discussed improvements to the Rio 2016 Sustainability Management Plan.

"It was fantastic to see that a lot of the suggestions made last year have been adopted, mainly in the area of transparency, which is a demand of the population," she said.

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