In numbers | Rio 2016

7.5m
Tickets sold

33
Venues used

306
Competitions taking place

42
Sports that make up the Games

10,500
Athletes competing

205
Countries represented

17 days
Duration of the competition

US$40
Cheapest tickets

US$3,000
Most expensive tickets

112
Years since golf last featured (it returns this year)

92
Years since rugby last featured (it also returns this year)
2016 Summer Olympics

"Rio 2016" redirects here. For the 2016 Paralympic Games, see 2016 Summer Paralympics.
Games of the XXXI Olympiad

Host city
Motto

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A new world
(Portuguese: Um mundo novo)

Nations
207
participating
Athletes
8,255 confirmed (more than
participating 10,500 expected)
Events
306 in 28 sports
Opening ceremony 5 August
Closing ceremony 21 August
Stadium
Maracan Stadium
The 2016 Summer Olympics (Portuguese: Jogos Olmpicos de Vero de 2016),[a] officially
known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, and commonly known as Rio 2016, is a major
international multi-sport event in the tradition of the Olympic Games due to take place in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. Record numbers of countries are participating
in a record number of sports. More than 10,500 athletes from 206 National Olympic
Committees (NOCs), including first time entrants Kosovo and South Sudan, are scheduled to
take part.[1] With 306 sets of medals, the games will feature 28 Olympic sports including
rugby sevens and golf, which were added by the International Olympic Committee in 2009.
These sporting events will take place at 33 venues in the host city and at 5 venues in the cities
of So Paulo (Brazil's largest city), Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Braslia (Brazil's capital), and
Manaus.
These will be the first Summer Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Thomas Bach.[1]
The host city of Rio de Janeiro was announced at the 121st IOC Session held in Copenhagen,
Denmark, on 2 October 2009. Rio will become the first South American city to host the
Summer Olympics. These will be the first games to be held in a Portuguese-speaking country,
the first to be held entirely during the host country's winter season (the 2000 games began on
15 September five days before the Southern Hemisphere's vernal equinox), the first since
1968 to be held in Latin America, and the first since 2000 (third overall) to be held in the
Southern Hemisphere.
Bidding process
Main article: Bids for the 2016 Summer Olympics

A young girl adds her signature in support of Rio de Janeiro's candidacy to host
the 2016 Olympic Games (January 2009).

The bidding process for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games was officially launched on 16
May 2007.[3] The first step for each city was to submit an initial application to the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) by 13 September 2007, confirming their intention to

bid. Completed official bid files, containing answers to a 25-question IOC form, were to be
submitted by each applicant city by 14 January 2008. Four candidate cities were chosen for
the shortlist on 4 June 2008: Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo (which hosted the
1964 Summer Olympics and will host again in 2020). The IOC did not promote Doha to the
Candidature phase, despite scoring higher than selected candidate city Rio de Janeiro, due to
their intent of hosting the Olympics in October, outside of the IOC's sporting calendar. Prague
and Baku also failed to make the cut.[4]
Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco headed the 10-member Evaluation Commission, having
also chaired the evaluation commission for the 2012 Summer Olympics bids. The
commission made on-site inspections in the second quarter of 2009. They issued a
comprehensive technical appraisal for IOC members on 2 September, one month before
elections.[5]
Many restrictions are in place designed to prevent bidding cities from communicating with or
influencing directly the 115 voting members. Cities may not invite any IOC member to visit
nor may they send anything that could be construed as a gift. Nonetheless, bidding cities
invest large sums in their PR and media programs in an attempt to indirectly influence the
IOC members by garnering domestic support, support from sports media and general
international media.
Ultimately, you are communicating with just 115 people and each one has influencers and
pressure groups but you are still speaking to no more than about 1,500 people, perhaps 5,000
in the broadest sense. It is not just about getting ads out there but it is about a targeted and
very carefully planned campaign.
Jon Tibbs, a consultant on the Tokyo bid [6]

The final voting was held on 2 October 2009, in Copenhagen with Madrid and Rio de Janeiro
perceived as favourites to land the games. Chicago and Tokyo were eliminated after the first
and second rounds of voting, respectively, while Rio de Janeiro took a significant lead over
Madrid heading into the final round. The lead held and Rio de Janeiro was announced as host
of 2016 Summer Olympics. Failed bids from other South American cities include Buenos
Aires (1936, 1956, 1968, 2004), Cali (1976, 1988, 2004), and Braslia, which withdrew
during the 2000 Summer Olympic bidding process.
2016 Summer Olympics bidding results[7]
City

NOC

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Rio de Janeiro

Brazil

26

46

66

Madrid

Spain

28

29

32

Tokyo

Japan

22

20

Chicago

United States

18

Development and preparation

Map of Rio de Janeiro showing the competition venues for the 2016 Summer
Olympics.

Maracan Stadium, site of the opening and closing ceremonies, in addition to the
finals of football.

Estdio Olmpico Joo Havelange, site of athletic events and some football
matches.

Radical Park of Rio

On 26 June 2011 it was reported on AroundTheRings.com that Roderlei Generali, the COO
of the Rio de Janeiro Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, resigned just one year
after taking the job at ROOC. This comes just five months after CCO Flvio Pestana quit for
personal reasons.[8] Pestana withdrew later during the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Renato
Ciuchin was then appointed as COO.[9]
Venues and infrastructure
Main article: Venues of the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics

In Rio de Janeiro, Barra da Tijuca will host most of the venues of the Olympic and
Paralympic Games in 2016. The rest will be located in three other zones of the host city:
Copacabana Beach, Maracan and Deodoro. Barra da Tijuca will also house the Olympic
Village.
Rio's historical downtown is undergoing a large-scale urban waterfront revitalization project
called Porto Maravilha.[10] It covers 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi) in area. The project aims to redevelop
the port area increasing the city center's attractiveness and enhancing Rio's competitiveness
position in the global economy. The urban renovation involves: 700 km (430 mi) of public
networks for water supply, sanitation, drainage, electricity, gas and telecom; 4 km (2.5 mi) of
tunnels; 70 km (43 mi) of roads; 650 km2 (250 sq mi) of sidewalks; 17 km (11 mi) of bike
path; 15,000 trees; three sanitation treatment plants. As part of this renovation, a new tram
will be built and will run from the Santos Dumont Airport to Rodoviria Novo Rio. It was
due to open in April 2016.[11] The Games require more than 200 kilometres of security
fencing. To store material, Rio 2016 is using two warehouses. A 15,000 square metre
warehouse in Barra da Tijuca in western Rio is being used to assemble and supply the
furniture and fittings for the Olympic Village. A second warehouse of 90,000 square metres,
located in Duque de Caxias near the roads that provide access to the venues, contains all the
equipment needed for the sporting events.[12]
While the whole city is undergoing major infrastructure improvements, there are concerns
that some of the projects will never materialise.[13]

Athletes' village

The athletes' village is claimed to become the largest in Olympic history. Fittings will include
about 80,000 chairs, 70,000 tables, 29,000 mattresses, 60,000 clothes hangers, 6,000
television sets and 10,000 smartphones.[12]
Football
Main article: Football at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Additionally some football games will take place on 5 venues in the cities of So Paulo, Belo
Horizonte, Salvador, Braslia and Manaus.

Arena da Amaznia
Manaus

Arena Corinthians
So Paulo

Arena Fonte Nova

Salvador

Estdio Nacional
Braslia

Mineiro
Belo Horizonte
Technology

The Rio Olympic Games will have brand-new robotic technology created by Mark Roberts
Motion Control to broaden the reach of photographers at multiple venues.[14]
Security

Since the award of the 2016 Olympics to Rio de Janeiro, the city's crime problems have
received more attention. Rio's mayor has admitted that there are "big issues" facing the city in
securing the Games from violence. However, he also said that such concerns and issues were
presented to the IOC throughout the bidding process.[15] The governor of the state of Rio de
Janeiro also highlighted the fact that London faced security problems, with a terrorist attack
occurring on the day following the IOC session that chose the city to host the 2012 Olympic
Games.
The IOC, however, has expressed optimism regarding the ability of the city and the nation of
Brazil to address these concerns, saying that seven years is enough time for Rio de Janeiro to
clean up its crime problem.[16] IOC spokesman Mark Adams told The Associated Press, "we
have confidence in their capacity to deliver a safe Games in seven years. Security is of course
a very important aspect of any Olympic Games no matter where it is in the world. This is of
course entirely under the national, regional and city authorities."[17][18][19] Luiz Incio Lula da
Silva, former president of Brazil, noted that the city has hosted other high-profile events
without major incidents, for example the 2007 Pan American Games.[20]
Rio de Janeiro is planning to pacify local neighbourhoods, or favelas. Community-based
Police Pacification Units (UPPs) will be used to build trust in individual communities
through the use of street patrols and civic work.[21] Moreover, The Regional Institute of Public
Safety reported that the homicide rate of Rio de Janeiro for the first five months of 2012 was
at its lowest in the past 21 years, with 10.9 homicides for every 100,000 habitants.[22][23]
Nonetheless, despite the decline in homicides and human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch
urged Brazil to investigate extrajudicial killings.[24]

Concerns over completion

Maracanzinho Gymnasium, site of volleyball.

Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, site of rowing and canoeing.

BRT map to the Olympics.

Bus Rapid Transit in Rio de Janeiro International Airport. The system connects the
airport with the Olympic areas.

Rio de Janeiro Metro map, including the connection with the Olympic area in
Barra da Tijuca.

Rio de Janeiro Metro.

On 9 May 2014, the London Evening Standard reported IOC vice-president John Coates
calling Brazil's preparations "the worst Ive experienced" and went on to claim that
construction and infrastructure projects were severely behind schedule. "The IOC has formed
a special task force to try to speed up preparations but the situation is critical on the ground,"
the paper quoted him as saying, concluding that such an intervention was "unprecedented".[25]
Coates' concerns had previously been reported elsewhere in the media.[26][27]
Despite these initial worries, the Rio Olympics Committee reported on 29 December 2015
that most venues are complete except the Rio Olympic Velodrome (76%) and the Youth
Arena (75%).
Financing
Phase I Applicant City
Revenue
Federal Government State Government

Total

Public Funds

R$3,022,097.88

R$3,279,984.98

R$6,302,082.86

Private Funds

R$2,804,822.16

General Total

R$9,106,905.02

Phase II Candidate City

Public revenues

Revenue

Public funds

Federal government

R$47,402,531.75

State government

R$3,617,556.00

Municipal government

R$4,995,620.93

General Total

R$56,015,708.68

Private revenues
Revenue

Private funds

EBX

R$13,000,000.00

Eike Batista

R$10,000,000.00

Bradesco

R$3,500,000.00

Odebrecht

R$3,300,000.00

Embratel

R$3,000,000.00

TAM Airlines

R$1,233,726.00

General Total

R$34,033,726.00

TAM Airlines contributed with R$1,233,726.00 in the form of discounts in air tickets.
Note: The residual balance was used to fund the first months of operation of Rio 2016
Organizing Committee.[28]
Investment
Olympics/City

Investment

Public

Private

Olympic Park

R$5.6 billion

R$1.46 billion

R$4.18 billion

Public Transport

R$24 billion

R$13.7 billion

R$10.3 billion

General Total

R$29.6 billion

R$15.16 billion

R$14.48 billion

Note: The total investment in Olympic park and public transport in Rio to the 2016 Summer
Olympics.[29]
Ticketing

The ticket prices were announced on 16 September 2014, and all will be sold in Brazilian
Reals (BRL). A total of 7.5 million tickets will be sold; 200,000 tickets less compared to the
2012 Summer Olympics, because the size of many arenas is smaller. Ticket prices range from
BRL 40 for many events to BRL 4,600 for the most expensive seats at the opening ceremony.
About 3.8 million of these tickets will be available for BRL 70 or less.[30][31] The street events
such as road cycling, race walk, and the marathon can be watched along their routes for free.

Torch relay
Main article: 2016 Summer Olympics torch relay

The Olympic flame was lit at the temple of Hera in Olympia on 21 April 2016, the traditional
start of the Greek phase of the torch relay. On 27 April the flame was handed over to the
Brazilian organizers at a ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. A brief stop was
made in Switzerland to visit the IOC headquarters and the Olympic Museum in Lausanne as
well as the United Nations Office at Geneva.[32]
The torch relay began its Brazilian journey on 3 May at the capital Braslia. The torch relay
will visit more than 300 Brazilian cities (including all the 26 states capitals and the Brazilian
Federal District), with the last part to be held in the city of Rio de Janeiro,[33] lighting the
cauldron during the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony on 5 August.
For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympics, the main cauldron will not be
permanently located at the Games' main stadiums. Similarly to the 2010 Winter Olympics,
where the cauldron was located outside the Vancouver Convention Centre, the official
cauldron will be located on the Port of Rio de Janeiro.[34]
The Games
Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony will take place in the Maracan Stadium on 5 August 2016.
During the Parade of Nations within the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics opening
ceremony, athletes and officials from each participating country will parade in the Maracan
Stadium preceded by their flag and placard bearer. Each flag bearer has been chosen either by
the nation's National Olympic Committee or by the athletes themselves. In keeping with
Olympic traditions, Greece will enter first, while Brazil, the host nation, will enter last. Other
countries will enter in alphabetical order in the language of the host country (Brazilian
Portuguese).

Indias Flag Bearer is Abhinav Bindra

Sports

The 2016 Summer Olympic program features 28 sports and a total of 41 disciplines and 306
events.

Aquatics
o

Diving (8)

Swimming (34)

Synchronized swimming (2)

Water polo (2)

Archery (4)

Athletics (47)

Badminton (5)

Basketball (2)

Boxing (13)

Canoeing

Slalom (4)

Sprint (12)

Cycling
o

BMX (2)

Mountain biking (2)

Road (4)

Track (10)

Equestrian
o

Dressage (2)

Eventing (2)

Jumping (2)

Fencing (10)

Field hockey (2)

Football (2)

Golf (2)

Gymnastics
o

Artistic (14)

Rhythmic (2)

Trampoline (2)

Handball (2)

Judo (14)

Modern pentathlon (2)

Rowing (14)

Rugby sevens (2)

Sailing (10)

Shooting (15)

Table tennis (4)

Taekwondo (8)

Tennis (5)

Triathlon (2)

Volleyball
o

Volleyball (2)

Beach volleyball (2)

Weightlifting (15)

Wrestling
o

Freestyle (12)

Greco-Roman (6)

New sports

There were two open spots for sports and initially seven sports began the bidding for
inclusion in the 2016 program. Baseball and softball, which were dropped from the program
in 2005, karate, squash, golf, roller sports, and rugby union all applied to be included.
Leaders of the seven sports held presentations in front of the IOC executive board in June
2009.[35]
In August, the executive board initially gave its approval to rugby sevensa seven-player
version of rugby unionby a majority vote, thus removing baseball, roller sports, and squash
from contention. Among the remaining threegolf, karate, and softball, the board approved
golf as a result of consultation. The final decision regarding the remaining two sports was
made on 9 October 2009, the final day of the 121st IOC Session. A new system was in place
at this session; a sport now needed only a simple majority from the full IOC committee for
approval rather than the two-thirds majority previously required.[36][37] International Golf
Federation executive director Antony Scanlon said that the top players, including Tiger
Woods and Annika Srenstam, would show their continued support of golf's Olympic
involvement by participating in the events.[38]
The International Sailing Federation announced in May 2012 that windsurfing would be
replaced at the 2016 Olympics by kitesurfing,[39] but this decision was reversed in November.
[40]
The IOC announced in January 2013 that it would review the status of cycling events,
following Lance Armstrong's admission of using performance-enhancing drugs and
accusations that the cycling's governing body had covered up doping.[41]
In contrast to the exception during the 2012 Olympics, the International Gymnastics
Federation announced that these Games will have a gala event for gymnastics.[42]
Participating National Olympic Committees

186 National Olympic Committees have qualified at least one athlete. A team of Refugee
Olympic Athletes will also participate.
As host nation, Brazil has received automatic entry for some sports including in all cycling
disciplines and six places for weightlifting events.[43][44] The first three nations to qualify
athletes for the Games were Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands who each qualified
four athletes for the team dressage by winning medals in the team event at the 2014 FEI
World Equestrian Games.[45]
South Sudan and Kosovo are expecting to debut in the Olympic Games.
Kuwait was banned in October 2015 for the second time in five years over government
interference in the country's Olympic committee.[46]
Russia was provisionally suspended in November 2015 from all international athletic (track
and field) competitions, including the 2016 Summer Olympics, by the IAAF following a
World Anti-Doping Agency report into doping in athletics.[47]

Due to the European migrant crisis and for other reasons, the IOC will allow athletes to
compete as Independent Olympians under the Olympic Flag. In the previous Olympic Games,
refugees were ineligible to compete due to their inability to represent their home NOCs.[48] On
2 March 2016, the IOC finalized plans for a specific team of Refugee Olympic Athletes
(ROA); out of 43 refugee athletes deemed potentially eligible, 10 will be chosen to form the
team.[49]
[hide]Participating National Olympic Committees

Albania (1)

Algeria (68)

American Samoa (1)

Andorra (1)

Angola (20)

Antigua and Barbuda (3)

Argentina (201)

Armenia (25)

Aruba (5)

Australia (379)

Austria (53)

Azerbaijan (53)

Bahamas (24)

Bahrain (24)

Bangladesh (1)

Barbados (11)

Belarus (115)

Belgium (88)

Benin (3)

Bermuda (6)

Bhutan (1)

Bolivia (8)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (7)

Botswana (5)

Brazil (442) (host)

British Virgin Islands (2)

Brunei (1)

Bulgaria (43)

Burkina Faso (1)

Burundi (6)

Cambodia (2)

Cameroon (22)

Canada (281)

Cape Verde (3)

Cayman Islands (3)

Central African Republic (1)

Chile (33)

China (343)

Colombia (124)

Congo (5)

DR Congo (1)

Cook Islands (5)

Costa Rica (5)

Croatia (68)

Cuba (104)

Cyprus (10)

Czech Republic (90)

Denmark (110)

Djibouti (4)

Dominica (1)

Dominican Republic (16)

Ecuador (32)

Egypt (114)

El Salvador (6)

Eritrea (8)

Estonia (37)

Ethiopia (34)

Fiji (48)

Finland (44)

France (368)

Gabon (4)

The Gambia (1)

Georgia (35)

Germany (378)

Ghana (6)

Great Britain (296)

Greece (82)

Grenada (4)

Guam (1)

Guatemala (19)

Guinea-Bissau (3)

Guyana (4)

Haiti (5)

Honduras (22)

Hong Kong (29)

Hungary (136)

Iceland (7)

India (99)

Indonesia (22)

Iran (59)

Iraq (21)

Ireland (71)

Israel (44)

Italy (254)

Ivory Coast (10)

Jamaica (43)

Japan (294)

Jordan (5)

Kazakhstan (85)

Kenya (76)

Kiribati (1)

Kosovo (3)

Kuwait (7)

Kyrgyzstan (14)

Latvia (18)

Lebanon (6)

Lesotho (4)

Liberia (1)

Libya (3)

Lithuania (64)

Luxembourg (5)

Macedonia (1)

Madagascar (1)

Malaysia (22)

Mali (1)

Malta (2)

Mauritius (8)

Mexico (97)

Moldova (19)

Monaco (1)

Mongolia (36)

Montenegro (29)

Morocco (51)

Mozambique (4)

Myanmar (1)

Namibia (10)

Nauru (1)

Nepal (1)

Netherlands (202)

New Zealand (184)

Nicaragua (1)

Niger (2)

Nigeria (63)

North Korea (35)

Norway (54)

Oman (2)

Pakistan (2)

Palau (2)

Palestine (2)

Panama (6)

Papua New Guinea (3)

Paraguay (6)

Peru (22)

Philippines (7)

Poland (210)

Portugal (85)

Puerto Rico (37)

Qatar (30)

Refugee Olympic Athletes (10)

Romania (100)

Russia (330)

Rwanda (4)

Saint Kitts and Nevis (6)

Saint Lucia (3)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2)

Samoa (6)

San Marino (3)

So Tom and Prncipe (1)

Saudi Arabia (6)

Senegal (18)

Serbia (83)

Seychelles (5)

Singapore (21)

Slovakia (43)

Slovenia (53)

Somalia (1)

South Africa (128)

South Korea (197)

Spain (217)

Sri Lanka (6)

Sudan (1)

Suriname (2)

Sweden (125)

Switzerland (90)

Syria (3)

Chinese Taipei (43)

Tajikistan (3)

Tanzania (4)

Thailand (40)

Togo (1)

Tonga (3)

Trinidad and Tobago (25)

Tunisia (56)

Turkey (92)

Turkmenistan (4)

Uganda (15)

Ukraine (172)

United Arab Emirates (9)

United States (404)

Uruguay (12)

Uzbekistan (58)

Vanuatu (3)

Venezuela (69)

Vietnam (20)

Virgin Islands (5)

Zambia (3)

Zimbabwe (29)

Closing ceremony

The closing ceremony will also take place at the Maracan Stadium on 21 August
2016.

Logo

The official emblem for the 2016 Summer Olympics was designed by the Brazilian
agency Tatl Design and unveiled on 31 December 2010. The logo represents three
figures, in the yellow, green, and blue of the Brazilian flag, joined at the arms and in a
triple embrace, with the overall shape reflecting that of Sugarloaf Mountain. The logo
was based on four concepts: contagious energy, harmonious diversity, exuberant
nature, and Olympic spirit. The Rio firm Tatl designed the winning entry for the logo
in a competition involving 139 agencies.[55]

The logo has been noted as evoking Henri Matisse's painting Dance. There were also
allegations by the Colorado-based Telluride Foundation that the logo had been
plagiarized from its own. While also consisting of several figures linked in motion,
the Telluride Foundation logo contains four figures. This is not the first time that the
foundation had alleged plagiarism of its logo by a Brazilian event; in 2004, the linked
figures element had been copied for the logo of Carnival celebrations in Salvador.
Tatl agency director Fred Gelli defended the design, stating that the concept of
figures linked in embrace was not inherently original as it was "an ancient reference"
and "in the collective unconscious". Gelli cited Dance as an influence of the logo's
concept, and stated that the designers had intentionally aimed to make the
interpretation of the concept as dissimilar to others as possible

Broadcasting

In August 2009, the IOC reached a deal to sell domestic broadcast rights to the 2016
Summer Olympics to Grupo Globo. Replacing Rede Record, the deal covers free-toair coverage on Rede Globo, pay TV, and digital rights to the Games. In turn, Globo
sub-licensed partial free-to-air rights to Rede Record, along with Rede Bandeirantes.
IOC board member Richard Carrin described the agreement as "unprecedented",
touting that "by working with Brazil's leading media organizations, we are confident
that this represents a great deal for Olympic fans in the region. There will be a huge
increase in the amount of Olympic action broadcast, both during and outside Games
time, and Brazilians will have more choice of how, when and where they follow their
Olympic Games.