Despite all of these, the country has stood firm, insisting it is ready to host the first Olympics to be held in a South American city and it partly proved this on Friday, August 5, 2016 when it brought the world to a standstill as over 2 billion people turned their attention to the Maracana stadium for the opening of the Rio 2016 Olympics.
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Here’s our round-up of the very best of the ceremony, as well as your need-to-know guide to the day ahead.
The first medal of the Games will be picked up in shooting on Saturday but hopes and dreams will also be fulfilled-or shattered-for cyclists, fencers, weightlifters, jodokas, swimmers, and archers as the first Olympic titles are determined.
Brazilian officials also used the Olympics opening ceremony to call an estimated three billion people watching the high-status sporting event worldwide to take care of the planet, plant seeds and protect the Amazon.
The night of colour, rhythm and samba drew towards a close as Brazilian marathon runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, who had won the bronze medal at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, lit the Olympic cauldron.
The sound of fireworks drowned out the sound of massive boos from the audience when interim Brazilian President Michel Temer declared the games open. “I’m the proudest man alive”. The team, comprised of 10 athletes, includes five from South Sudan, two from Syria, two from the Democratic Republic of Congo and one from Ethiopia.
But the party will kick-off after the most trouble-plagued build-up to an Olympics in history, with a biting recession, double-digit unemployment, soaring crime and a public health crisis caused by the Zika virus just a few of the social problems ravaging the city. “With your great talent and human spirit, you are making a great contribution to society”.
With his historic eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and 22 total Olympic medals, Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time. She makes her Olympic debut at 11 a.m. More than half of that has come from the private sector. Either way, congratulations to Gisele on a long and incredibly successful career!
Hours before the announcement that he would miss the opening ceremony, the former striker posted a photo on Instagram alongside ex-Brazil captain Carlos Alberto in front of a Pele Academia backboard. Lea has blazed her own path in the fashion industry, working with everyone from Givenchy to Redken.
From supermodel Gisele Bundchen’s tribute to the “Girl from Ipanema” to the promise of an athletes’ forest to be planted after the Games, Brazil’s big night saluted the country’s past and pointed towards a greener future. “Brazil is a vast country and all its diversity should be somehow represented in this event”, the model told TeleSUR. However, soccer and archery have already started their preliminary rounds, and tomorrow qualifying rounds for sports like gymnastics, beach volleyball, tennis, basketball and more begin.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong, the special envoy of President Xi Jinping, attended the opening ceremony along with many worldwide dignitaries including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Here are some snapshots from the unbelievable event.
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I’m happy to be here – Rafeal Nadal smiles alongside members of Spain’s Olympic team in the Parade of Nations.
