How many days does the Summer Olympics last? Rio Olympics: how the opening ceremony went

Incredible facts

Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil starts on August 5 and will last until August 21, 2016.

The opening and closing ceremonies will take place at the Maracana Stadium, and during the games, approximately 16,000 athletes will compete, competing for 306 sets of medals in 42 sports.

More than 1.6 million foreign tourists visit Rio de Janeiro every year. This is the most visited city in Brazil, because in 2015 alone, about a million tourists came to Rio for the carnival.

Here are some interesting facts you wanted to know about the 2016 Olympics.

Summer Olympics 2016

1. For the first time in history, the Olympic Games will be held in South America.. Rio de Janeiro was voted out in 2009, leaving cities like Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo behind.

2. The Olympic torch relay began on April 21 at the birthplace of the Olympic Games in Olympia., Greece, traveling through Brazil in just over 90 days, ending in Rio de Janeiro on August 5th.

3. The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at Maracanã Stadium, which holds the record for the largest number of football fans attending.

Although it currently seats about 78,000 people, it was able to gather 173,000 fans during the 1950 FIFA World Cup final. It was also the site of the 2014 FIFA World Cup final.

4. It is expected that approx. 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will take part in the Olympics, playing 306 sets of awards.

5. The competition will take place in four different zones: on Copacabana beach- where the beach volleyball competition will take place, in Barra da Tijuca– where is the Olympic Park located? Deodoro– where the water sports competitions will take place, Olympic CenterBMX and centers for equestrian sports, as well as in Maracana, where there are two large stadiums.

Sports in the 2016 Olympic Games

6. Golf will return to the Olympics after a 112-year hiatus. The International Olympic Committee has decided to reintroduce the sport, which last competed in 1900 and 1904.

7. For the first time, Olympians born in 2000 will participate in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

According to the rules, athletes born before January 1, 2003 can take part in competitions, but some sports have different age restrictions. The youngest participants will most likely compete in sports such as gymnastics and diving.

8. A team of athletes who were forced to leave their country will take part in the competition. The IOC stated that about 5-10 private participants The refugee team will compete under the Olympic flag.

9. Vinicius is the mascot of the 2016 Olympics.- a yellow-blue character representing the animal world of Brazil.

It is similar to a cat or monkey that can fly and stretch its limbs and body.

It was named after the Brazilian musician Vinicius di Moraes, who became one of the authors of the famous bossa nova composition “The Girl from Ipanema”. Organizers hope the mascot will help them raise 1 billion reais ($398 million) from merchandise sales.

10. Total submitted to the Olympic Games 7.5 million tickets, with prices ranging from $40 for some swim meets to nearly $3,000 for prime seats at the opening ceremony.

The most popular competitions are football, basketball, volleyball and handball.

11. The organizers plan prepare about 60,000 meals a day to feed athletes. Traditional Brazilian dishes such as rice, black beans and grilled meats, tapioca, cheese buns and acai berries will be offered.

Participants of the 2016 Olympic Games

12. Expected at the 2016 Olympic Games participation of 70,000 volunteers mainly from Brazil, USA, UK, Russia and China.

13. For the Olympics about 85,000 soldiers and police are involved is the largest security force assembled for an event in Brazil's history, twice the size of the security forces present at the London 2012 Olympics.

14. The organizing committee provided Rio de Janeiro taxi drivers with the opportunity to enroll in free online English courses.

15. The motto of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics was “Viva sua paixão,” which translates to “Live your passion.”

There is less than a year left to wait until the opening of the next Summer Olympic Games. The main sports competitions of the four-year anniversary will start on August 5, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro at the Maracanã stadium. For the first time, the Olympics will be held in South America.

Summer Olympics 2016were far from the first application for holding this type of competition in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro previously competed to host the Olympics in 1936, 1940, 2004 and 2012. Attempts to host the main Games were successful for only the fifth time for Rio. In addition to Brazil, Madrid (Spain), Tokyo (Japan) and Chicago (USA) also competed for the right to host the XXXI Summer Games. Interestingly, at the first stage, St. Petersburg also competed for the opportunity to host the Summer Olympic Games. However, in the summer of 2007, after the city of Sochi received the right to host the 2014 Winter Games, the northern capital withdrew from this race.

NUMBERS

The Summer Olympic Games in sunny Brazil will take place from August 5 to 21. August in this country is considered calendar winter. The air temperature here at this time is from +18 to +25 degrees. In Rio de Janeiro, August is the coldest and windiest month of the year, but at the same time one of the sunniest (22 days of clear weather). The opening ceremony of the XXXI Summer Olympic Games will begin on August 5 at 18:00 local time (in the Southern Urals - 2 am). According to the tradition that began at the 1996 Games, it will be Friday.

Feature of the upcoming Olympics will be a return to the official program after a long absence of such sports as rugby sevens and golf. The last time rugby competed at the Summer Games was 92 years ago, golf has not been considered an Olympic sport for the last 112 years.

According to the organizers, in the upcoming competitions over 10 thousand athletes will take part, which will represent 205 countries of the world. Athletes will play 306 sets awards in 42 types. The largest number of medals - 47 sets (23 for women, 24 for men) will go to track and field athletes. Almost 5 thousand award and 75 thousand commemorative Olympic medals will be produced by the Brazilian Mint.

Over 7.5 million tickets tickets for sports competitions are already available by booking through the National Olympic Committee. The cheapest seats at the opening ceremony will cost spectators $86, while the most expensive seats go up to $2,000. The average price of a ticket to the competition is $30.

Official cost of preparing for the Olympics in Brazil today is $2.9 billion. The amount differs significantly from the originally announced - 1.8 billion. The organizers attributed the significant increase to inflation, the addition of new species to the program and an unforeseen increase in costs for the development of the Olympic village.

SYMBOLS OF RIO 2016

Emblem of the XXXI Olympic Games, according to its creators, symbolizes Rio de Janeiro itself. The symbol of the future Games is based on the three colors of the national flag of Brazil, and the winding lines represent the sea, sun, mountains and silhouettes of people dancing together.

- Vinicius and Tom- presented back in November 2014. The patrons of the Games received their names in honor of famous Brazilian musicians. The characters represent collective images of the rich flora and fauna of a tropical country. The Olympic mascot was depicted as a smiling yellow animal, Vinicius, similar to a cat. Tom, resembling a cross between a flower and a tree, is the mascot of the Paralympic Games, the personification of Brazilian flora.

OLYMPIC FLAME

The traditional lighting of the fire will take place on April 21, 2016 in Greece. The flame will be delivered to the capital of the Games on a special flight by air by April 27, and will start on May 3 Rio 2016 Olympic torch relay. It is planned to involve 12 thousand torchbearers. The length of the walking route for each participant will be about 200 meters. The total length of the route will be 20 and 16 thousand km by land and air, respectively.

The relay will take place almost throughout Brazil, and almost 90% of the country’s residents will have the opportunity to see this event. The end of the long journey of the Olympic flame will be the grand opening of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

OLYMPIC OBJECTS

Sports venues The organizers divided it into four zones: Copacabana, Maracana, Deodoro and Barra.

Copacabana As one of the most famous beaches in the world, it will be an area predominantly for aquatic species. Medals will be awarded here for sailing, open water swimming, triathlon, rowing, as well as cycling (road), walking and marathon.

Maracanã Zone named after its central sports facility - the famous football stadium. It is at the Maracanã stadium that the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, as well as football competitions, will take place. Other facilities in this zone include the Maracanisinho volleyball arena and the João Havelange stadium, where track and field athletes will compete.

Formerly a military base Deodoro According to the organizers, for the duration of the Games it will become a competition zone where medals will be played out in equestrian sports, modern pentathlon, fencing, rowing slalom, cycling (BMX, mountain biking) and shooting.

The largest and most competition-rich area in Rio will be Barra. Within its boundaries will be located: the Olympic Arena (rhythmic and artistic gymnastics, trampolining), the Olympic Tennis Center, the Maria Lenk swimming pool (water polo, diving), the water sports center (swimming, synchronized swimming), the Rio Center (boxing , badminton, table tennis, weightlifting), Olympic halls 1-4 (taekwondo, judo, wrestling, basketball, handball), golf center, velodrome.

In addition to sports grounds, Barra is home to the Olympic Park and the Olympic Village, as well as press and television centers.

By sports standards, the wait is not too long until the opening of the Olympic Games - less than a year! In some sports, the fight for tickets to the main competitions of the four years is already in full swing. It is too early to talk about possible results and make any predictions. However, fans of the Russian team believe that very soon the next Olympic Games will write new Russian names in the history of world sports.

Where will the 2016 Olympic Games be held? The next Summer Olympics 2016 will be held for the first time in its history in South America. This sports championship of the planet will be held in Brazil from August 5 to 21.

Hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics

An application for the right to host this most prestigious sports competition was submitted back in 2007. The following countries took part in the competition: Azerbaijan, USA, Spain, Japan, Qatar, Czech Republic and Brazil. Based on the results of the competition, four candidate cities were selected: Madrid, Tokyo, Chicago and Rio de Janeiro. In 2009, the International Olympic Committee conducted several tours of these cities and made the final decision on where these sports competitions will be held. The winning city and host of the 2016 Summer Olympics will be the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

Before this, Brazil made several attempts and submitted an application to the International Olympic Committee, but never reached the final. According to preliminary data, more than 12 thousand athletes from 205 countries will participate in the games. 306 sets of awards will be drawn. At the moment, the Olympic budget is $2.95 billion and this does not take into account the costs that the government has allocated for the development of infrastructure in the places where the competitions will be held. Such a huge amount was obtained as a result of taking into account rising inflation, the use of the most advanced technologies and changes to some programs.

It should be noted that the program of the 2016 Olympics itself has not undergone significant changes, when compared with the previous Games, held in 2012 in London, the capital of Great Britain. It was slightly supplemented with some provisions. For example, some sports were added: golf, beach soccer, a simplified version of rugby and street basketball. The ongoing 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will be the first ever environmentally friendly sporting competition.

Especially for the Olympics, the RAFAA company from Switzerland built a huge waterfall that runs on solar panels and accumulates solar energy throughout the day. According to the developers, the power of this unique structure will be enough to fully supply the Olympic village and the entire city with electricity. The city authorities presented an improved Bus Rapid Transit transportation system. This vehicle will deliver people to various Olympic venues, moving along specially designated lanes and connecting the city's districts.

Olympic venues

The organizers of the games have allocated several zones for holding competitions, which are discussed below.

Barra

Most of the Olympics will take place in Barre. Several sports facilities were built in this place. The water polo and diving competitions will take place at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Park. Rhythmic and artistic gymnastics competitions will be held at the Olympic Arena. Boxing and weightlifting competitions will be held at the Riocenter. Competitions in basketball and various types of martial arts will be held in the Olympic halls. Barre also has a Velodrome and a Tennis Centre.

Deodoro

The following sports competitions will be held in this zone:

Mountain bike;
Rowing slalom;
Pentathlon;
Shooting;
Equestrian competitions;
Fencing.

Maracana

This grandiose sports facility is one of the most popular football stadiums in the world. This stadium will host the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics, as well as the football championship, in which not only Rio de Janeiro, but also other Brazilian cities will participate. It is worth noting that in this area there is the Joao Havelange facility, where athletics competitions will be held, as well as the Maracanazinho sports complex, where volleyball competitions will be held. Small Olympic villages have been built at the competition sites for media representatives.

Copacabana

Copacabana is considered one of the famous and picturesque beaches in the world. In this place, the organizers of the games plan to hold competitions in the following sports:

Swimming;
Sailing;
Rowing;
Triathlon.

Mascots and symbols of the 2016 Olympics

We found out that the 2016 Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, and now let's talk about what the mascot will be. The 2016 Olympic Games will be held under the auspices of mascots that symbolize Brazilian flora and fauna: a yellow animal resembling a cat and a blue-green plant in which you can see the outlines of an exotic flower and tree. Based on the results of an online vote, the mascots were named Vinicius and Tom, in honor of the famous Brazilian musicians.

During the development of the visual image of the Olympics, the designers pursued the goal of creating a feeling of a festive and at the same time solemn atmosphere for the guests of Rio de Janeiro. Here you can see the city's core values and attributes, as well as some elements that highlight its passion and changeability.

In addition, the developed image reflects the locations of the Brazilian cities in which football matches of the Football Championship will be held: Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte. This Olympic image can be seen on tickets, posters, and at sports facilities where sports competitions will take place. Medals for awarding athletes will be made from precious metals obtained from the recycling of electrical appliances. It is planned to produce about 5,000 award medals, as well as about 75,000 commemorative medals and badges.

How much will tickets cost?

Many sports fans are wondering what the cost of tickets to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will be? The organizers of this event released the following information: the cheapest ticket will cost 14 euros, and the most expensive will cost 420 euros. It is well known that the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games are considered the most spectacular, memorable and grandiose events. In order to attend these events, you will need to pay about 1,000 euros. You can purchase tickets from the beginning of 2016 on the official website of the game organizers.

Volunteering

The organizers of the 2016 Olympics plan to attract about 60 thousand volunteers to participate in all events. The application deadline was until the end of 2015. Anyone over 18 years of age, regardless of their gender and nationality, could offer their services. Selected candidates are given special online training, during which they are introduced to the features of the upcoming work, as well as the places where the Games will be held. During the Olympics, all volunteers will be provided with appropriate equipment and food. True, they will need to get to Rio de Janeiro at their own expense. At the end of the Olympic Games, all volunteers will receive exclusive gifts and special certificates.

Ready for the Olympic Games

We have finally found out where the 2016 Olympic Games will be held. But the following should be noted: The International Olympic Committee is of the opinion that Brazil is not quite ready to host the Olympics. This is due to the fact that the organizers do not have enough finances and therefore do not invest within the established time frame allocated for preparation. IOC representatives say that funding for all preparation work is being carried out with delays. Many sports facilities have not yet been completed, and Rio de Janeiro still lacks the necessary infrastructure and there is a shortage of hotel rooms.

It is also worth noting this fact: Guonabara Bay is heavily polluted and the authorities are now working on cleaning it up, because it is here that competitions in sailing, kayaking and canoeing will be held. The organizers assure that by the start of the Olympics, all pollution will be eliminated. Information has appeared in the media that the organizers may change the venue for the 2016 Summer Olympics. According to some reports, the International Olympic Committee has asked the British authorities about the possibility of holding the Olympics in London for the second time in a row.

To which the British authorities agreed and assured that London is quite ready to host the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Although there are no official statements on this matter. Now representatives of the International Olympic Committee are making a number of decisions to stabilize the situation. They offered their assistance to the Brazilian authorities in the implementation of some events, as well as their willingness to constantly monitor the preparation process for the Games so that they take place at the highest level. Due to the situation that has developed at the end of 2015, they do not intend to move the Olympic Games to another country, and they will take place as planned in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

The preparations for the 2016 Games are the worst I have ever seen... But we have no other plan B. That's why we're going to Rio.

IOC Vice President

The 2016 Summer Olympics are the main sporting event of the four-year period. The Olympic movement originated in the times of Ancient Greece. Back then it was both a sporting and a religious event. But after 394 AD. the competition fell under disgrace from the authorities.

Only at the end of the 19th century were the Games resumed. Since then, starting in 1986, the world has hosted 22 Winter and 30 Summer Olympics. The next Summer Olympic Games 2016 will be held in Brazil. This is the first Olympics in South America.

Choosing a host country and problems of organization

Eight countries submitted bids to host the Games. In addition to Brazil, Azerbaijan, Spain, the Czech Republic, Qatar, Japan, the USA and Russia competed for the right to host the Games. Three countries included cities other than their capitals in their applications. These were: Russia (St. Petersburg), USA (Chicago) and Brazil (Rio de Janeiro). St. Petersburg withdrew its application because, a month and a half after submitting the application, another city (Sochi) received the right to host the 2014 Winter Games.

Four candidates made it to the final stage of the race: Madrid, Tokyo, Chicago and Rio de Janeiro. Voting took place in three stages. With each of them, one applicant was eliminated. As a result, there were two of them left: Rio de Janeiro and Madrid.

Rio de Janeiro won by a double margin during the final voting in October 2009. In 2014, information appeared that the location of the 2016 Summer Olympics could be changed. The reason for the rumors was frequent statements by IOC officials about the host country’s failure to meet deadlines for the delivery of competition facilities.

The media considered London, which hosted the competition in 2012, and Moscow as an alternative to hosting the Games. But despite the problems with the organization, IOC officials announced that the Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, and there is no talk of postponing the competition.

The Brazilians, after approving the candidacy of Rio de Janeiro, decided that the 2016 Summer Olympics would be held in four zones of the city.

Athletics;
marathon;
archery;
football;
water polo;
volleyball.

Maracana will be the main site of the Olympics. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games will be held at the stadium of the same name. The Maracana Stadium will also host the final match of the Olympic football tournament. It is the largest sports ground in Brazil with a capacity of 79,000 people.

Athletics and volleyball competitions will be held at the João Havelange and Maracanazinho stadiums adjacent to the Maracanã, respectively. The João Havelange Olympic Stadium is new (opened in 2007) and has a capacity of 45,000 people.

The Maracanazinho Stadium has a capacity of 12,000 people. The stadium was built in 1954 and has gone through two reconstructions. The last one was in 2007. One of the main attractions of the Maracana region will also host part of the Olympics competitions. We are talking about the famous Sambadromo street, where the Brazilian carnival takes place every year. The street is 700 meters long, and on both sides it is fenced off with spectator stands. Their capacity is 90,000 people.

Archery competitions will be held at the Sambodrome. The start and finish of the women's and men's marathons will also be held here.

Barra

boxing;
table tennis;
badminton;
cycling (road);
Weightlifting;
gymnastics (sports, rhythmic and trampolining);
cycle track;
race walking;
diving;
water polo;
swimming;
synchronized swimming;
basketball;
judo;
taekwondo;
wrestling (freestyle and Greco-Roman);
handball;
fencing;
golf;
tennis.

The Barra area will host the lion's share of competition at the upcoming Olympics. There are 15 sports facilities on its territory. The largest water sports facility is the Maria Lenk Water Park, which will host swimming and diving competitions.

The center was built in 2004 and seats 8,000 spectators. Its total area is 42,000 sq.m. Medals in all types of gymnastics and trampolining will be played at the HSBC Arena. The arena opened in 2007 and seats 15,000 spectators. The Riocentro exhibition complex can accommodate up to 9,000 spectators. It will host competitions in badminton, table tennis, boxing and weightlifting.

Basketball competitions will also be held in the Barra area. The venue for the tournament will be the Olympic Training Center, built specifically for the 2013 Olympics. The center can accommodate 20,000 spectators. The tennis competition will be held at the Rio Olympic Tennis Center, which is still under construction. The center will consist of 16 courts. The central court will accommodate 10,000 spectators, court No. 1 - 5,000, court No. 2 - 3,000, other courts - 250 people each.

Barra will be home to the Olympic Park and Olympic Village, as well as a television center and press center for coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Beach volleyball;
kayaking, canoeing and rowing;
cycling (road);
open water swimming;
triathlon;
sailing.

The Copacabana area, known for its beach, will host beach volleyball competitions, as well as open water swimming and triathlon competitions. Within Copacabana, the Marina da Gloria center will host sailing competitions. Temporary stands will be erected on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean that can accommodate 10,000 people.

Deodoro

basketball;
modern pentathlon;
Horseback Riding;
field hockey;
shooting;
rugby sevens;
mountain biking and bicycle motocross;
slalom.

The fourth Deodoro center at the National Equestrian Center will host show jumping competitions. The center was built in 2007, but three years later required reconstruction. Its capacity is 20,000 people. Next to the Equestrian Center is the National Shooting Center, also built in 2007. Competitions in bullet and skeet shooting will be held within its boundaries.

Deodoro will also host competitions in fencing (Arena Deodoro), modern pentathlon (National Center for Modern Pentathlon), cycling (mountain biking) and kayaking (Olympic Slalom Stadium). Cycling competitions will attract up to 25,000 spectators based on the capacity of the Olympic Mountain Bike Centre, while fencing, slalom and modern pentathlon competitions will attract 5,000, 8,000 and 15,000 spectators respectively.

Rio de Janeiro is not the only city that will host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Four more Brazilian cities will host competitions as part of the Olympics. Part of the Olympic football tournament will take place in the stadiums of Sao Paulo, Salvador, Belo Horizonte and the capital Brasilia. The most capacious is the Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia (76,000 people). This is followed by the Mineirão Stadium in Belo Horizonte (74,000), Morumbi in Sao Paulo (66,000) and the Fonte Nava Arena in Salvador (60,000).

Mascot and logo of the Games

The mascot of the future Olympics was an animal named Vinicius and a plant called Tom. Both mascots represent the diverse flora and fauna of Brazil. Vinicius is the embodiment of all the animals that live in Brazil, "born from an explosion of joy" that the country was chosen as the capital of the Olympics. Tom personifies the symbol of the Paralympic Games and is a kind of mixture of plants.

The theme of the Brazilian flag is clearly visible in the colors of the mascots. The official Olympics logo is an image of three dancing human figures in orange, green and blue. They are all holding hands. Below is the inscription "RIO 2016" and the symbol of all Olympic Games - five rings connected to each other.

At the Olympics, 301 medals will be awarded in 40 sports disciplines. For the first time, rugby sevens, which is a simplified form of this game, was included in the Summer Games program. Also, for the first time since 1904, a golf tournament will be held at the Summer Olympics. This sport was once excluded from the Olympics, but by the decision of the IOC through a vote in 2009, this status was returned to it.

Otherwise, the 2016 Summer Olympics will follow the same sports program as the previous Olympics.

Famous Russian pole vaulter Elena Isinbaeva plans to perform in Rio de Janeiro. Elena became the champion of the Olympic Games twice (2004 and 2008). After her bronze podium finish at the 2012 London Olympics, she announced that she was putting her sports career on hold and would make a final decision about competing at the next Games later.

American swimmer 18-time Olympic champion Michael Phelps, who retired in 2012 and returned to the sport in 2014, intends to take part in the Games in Brazil, setting the 2016 Summer Olympics as his goal.

Trip to the Olympics as a volunteer

To do this, you need to register on the official website of the Games and submit an application. In May 2015, casting began for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games. It will run until November 2015. During this period, interviews will take place, following which in November 2015 a meeting will be held between the participants and the artistic group, which will select the most liked applicants with an invitation to Brazil in April 2016 for rehearsal events.

Participants must be at least 16 years of age as of April 1, 2016. The ticket to Brazil is paid for by the volunteer himself.

Tickets for the competition went on sale at the beginning of 2015. Thus, the price of tickets for the Olympic Games in Brazil ranges from 17 to 1300 dollars. For the opening ceremony, the cheapest tickets cost $57 or 200 Brazilian reals, depending on exchange rates.

The most expensive tickets (1,200 reais or $341) will be sold for athletics and volleyball competitions, the cheapest (40 reais or $11) for open water swimming, field hockey, shooting, weightlifting and race walking.

All tickets can be purchased through the Internet portal "Rio 2016 Tickets" after registration. There are no direct flights between Russia and Brazil. Direct flights to Galleon Airport can be reached from European airports. These could be: Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Madrid, Rome, London and Istanbul.

A trip to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will require large financial expenditures for at least one flight, but despite the financial side of the issue and the initial problems with the organization, the 2016 Summer Olympics promise to be a grandiose sporting event of the year, which is worth visiting at least once in your life .

The Olympics moved from London to Rio. The main competition of the planet took place in August at the best sports grounds of the capital of the Brazilian carnival.

According to the decision of the 121st session of the IOC, the Games of the XXXI Olympiad or the 2016 Summer Olympics were held in the second largest city in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. Rio competed for the right to host such a prestigious event from such global cities as Madrid, Prague, Tokyo, Chicago and St. Petersburg. The positive decision in favor of the Brazilian application was influenced by the successful experience of Rio hosting a previous sporting event of comparable scale - the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The 2016 Olympic Games were the first competitions of this level on the South American continent and the second in Latin America, after the 1968 Olympics in the capital of Mexico.

The main part of the sports competitions within the framework of the 2016 Olympics took place in four clusters in Rio de Janeiro - Barra Olympic Park, Copacabana, Maracana and Deodoro. Early stages of the Olympic football tournament also took place in the cities of Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Salvador and Sao Paulo. Among the largest sports venues of the XXXI Olympics were the world's second largest football stadium, Maracana, the Rio Olympic Arena and the largest exhibition center in South America, Riocentro. Beach volleyball competitions took place on the legendary Copacabana beach, and the Sambadromo “carnival” arena hosted track and field athletes and archers. Despite numerous comments from the IOC regarding the delay in the construction of sports facilities, by the beginning of 2016, the Brazilian authorities managed to stabilize the situation and fulfill their previous commitments.

The logo of the 2016 Summer Olympics was a figure of three yellow, blue and green men holding hands. It reflected the colors of the national flag and became a symbol of interaction and energy, harmony in diversity, the exuberance of nature and the Olympic spirit. The winding “landscape” lines in the logo design are meant to resemble the mountains, sun and sea of Brazil.

The mascot of the XXXI Olympics, the cat-like yellow beast Vinicius, serves as a collective image of the rich fauna of Brazil. The Paralympic mascot, Tom the Walking Tree, is a reminder of the diversity of Brazil's fauna. The talismans received their names from two prominent Brazilian cultural figures - Vinicius de Morais and Tom Jobim - who created the bossa nova musical style.

For the Russian Olympic team, the 2016 Games in Rio were a truly tough nut to crack. Due to international pressure in connection with "meldonium" Due to the scandal, all athletes from Russia were under threat of being suspended from participation in the main competition of the year. The thorny issue was put to rest at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee on July 24 - Russians were given the opportunity to participate in the 2016 Olympics. “ The fate of each athlete was placed under the jurisdiction of the international federation for his sport. Those admitted had to pass a control doping test in Brazil. At the same meeting, the IOC's earlier decision to ban all Russian track and field athletes from the Rio Olympics was confirmed, except for one athlete, long jumper Daria Klishina. However, a few days before the start of the Olympics, the IOC again changed its decision. The issue of participation of Russian athletes in competitions was finally decided by an independent committee of three people under the leadership of the head of the IOC medical group, Ugur Erdener. According to her verdict, 273 out of 387 members of the Russian team were allowed to participate in the Summer Olympics.

Some interesting statistics.

More than 10,000 athletes from 206 countries took part in the games of the XXXI Olympiad. Over the 17 days of competition, they competed for 306 medals in 42 sports disciplines. An innovation for 2016 was the addition of two “newcomers” to the existing Olympic sports - golf and rugby. The former returned to the roll of honor after an absence of 112 years, the latter in a somewhat simplified rugby sevens format after a 92-year hiatus. The number of spectators in the stands of the 2016 Olympics exceeded 7 million people.

Ticket prices for Summer Olympics events in Rio de Janeiro start from 40 reais (about 17.4 dollars).