There’s nothing like the unique Brazilian vibe – and the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will see no shortage of samba, culture, diversity and history as the South American nation proudly showcases its traditions and environmental wonders.
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The iconic Maracana Stadium will host a pulsating gathering for more than 70,000 fans, 10,400 athletes and dozens of world leaders as the first Olympics to be staged in South America gets under way. They protested as the Olympic torch passed through the city on its way to the Opening Ceremony.
Russian Federation hosted the most expensive Olympic Games in history ($51 billion!) two years ago, and the plan was for mega-rich private investors to provide financial backing.
The state of Georgia is sending 49 athletes to the games and four coaches.
Andy Murray will lead Team GB’s charge into the cavernous Maracana stadium as the flag bearer, an honour the defending Olympic champion and two-time Wimbledon victor described as “by far the proudest moment of my professional career”.
“I hope that the Opening Ceremony will be a drug for depression in Brazil”, film director Fernando Meirelles says in material provided to the media in Rio de Janeiro.
“I honestly do not feel like it’s set in yet – that I’m an Olympian, you know, this has been my dream”, Murphy said.
“In terms of operational know-how and experience, the most important arrangement is to prepare and run a series of test events”, Lee said. In a bitterly divided country, protesters are encouraging spectators to boo Temer, who took over after the Senate voted to subject leftist President Dilma Rousseff to an impeachment hearing this month.
“Framingham is kind of like Little Brazil”, she said. NBC will also be producing a daily two-minute Olympic video recap specifically for Facebook as well as a daily slow-motion video for Instagram highlighting the day’s most inspiring moments. Pele said on Friday, Aug. 5, 2016 that his poor health will keep him from attending the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics.
Brazil have deployed some 85,000 police and troops, roughly twice the number at London’s 2012 Olympics, to protect locals and the half million tourists expected to visit the city. Journalists’ cameras and laptops have also been targeted for thefts.
On Thursday, the International Olympic Committee confirmed the Russian team would be made up of 271 athletes, with 118 eliminated because of the drug scandal.
Of the 141 Ontario athletes headed to Rio with Team Canada, 119 receive Quest for Gold funding.
The first gold medal should be awarded on Saturday in shooting.
In more recent Olympic history, a new power is emerging on the world stage, with the battle for the top spot in the medal table now being fought between the U.S. and China.
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Track and field will see Jamaican star Bolt aim to defend his 100m, 200m and 4x100m crowns by clinching all three for the third straight Games.
