A spokesman for National Intelligence Director James Clapper told NBC, “U.S. intelligence agencies are working closely with Brazilian intelligence officials to support their efforts to identify and disrupt potential threats to the Olympic Games in Rio”.
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An American couple holds a US flag ahead of the Rio Olympics’ opening ceremonies in Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 5, 2016.
Hours earlier, the Olympics were declared open at Rio’s fabled Maracana stadium late Friday with Brazilian marathon runner Vanderlei Cordeiro lighting the cauldron following an exuberant display of Brazil’s cultural heritage, capped by breathtaking pyrotechnics-and a burst of high-octane samba.
Actual viewership figures will be released later in the day on Saturday.
The show drew homegrown stars, like supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who walked across the stadium to the sound of Bossa Nova hit “Girl from Ipanema”.
There are 14 golds up for grabs, including four swimming finals and the women’s side of a grueling road cycling race completed by the men on Saturday.
The brutality of the course became evident over the cobblestone sectors that rattled one cyclist off his bike, cost another his chain and forced Tour de France champion Chris Froome to change out his broken bike.
Her teammate Annemiek van Vleuten crashed while leading the race on the same final decent where Giro d’ Italia victor Vincenzo Nibali and Colombian climber Sergio Henao tumbled while leading the men’s race Saturday.
Two of the most anticipated competitions come Saturday evening in men’s basketball and swimming.
Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony lead the heavily favored Americans against the Chinese in hoops, although some say the real action is more than 6,000 miles away in Las Vegas, where betting on the Olympics is legal for the first time since 1998.
After one of the roughest-ever rides from vote to games by an Olympic host, the city of beaches, carnival, grinding poverty and sun-kissed wealth lifted the curtain on the games of the 31st Olympiad with a three-hour gala Friday night that celebrated Brazil’s can-do spirit, biodiversity and its indigenous people. Numerous events took place in the Olympic Park on Barra de Tijuca, a modern suburb of Rio.
Lorie Schmetterling, who traveled from Moorestown, New Jersey with her husband Eric to cheer on their daughter Laura, who is rowing for the U.S. Olympic team, had not heard the blast but was disturbed to learn it had occurred just a few hundred meters from where she was staying.
Thrasher shot 10.5 on her first shot of the final elimination round and smiled after 10.4 on her second shot put her comfortably ahead of China’s Li Du.
China has dominated the air rifle and pistol shooting events at the Olympics, earning nine gold medals since the 2000 Sydney Games. He only managed to catch the last five minutes of the Brazilian team’s victory, after a 90-minute wait.
History will be made as USA team member Ibtihaj Muhammad becomes the first American to compete in the Olympics wearing a hijab. The sport is among the most popular locally, and Brazil’s teams have won gold or silver in every men’s and women’s competition since 1996.
BAD BREAK: French gymnast Samir Ait Said’s Olympics ended when he severely injured his left leg while vaulting during team preliminaries.
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Race officials say the first heats of the day Sunday are now scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. local time.
