Olympics 2016: Torch begins journey to Brazil. In a solemn and elaborate ceremony worthy of a "Game of Thrones" pageant, women in ancient-Greek style dresses and men in tunics performed symbolic rituals at the site of Ancient Olympia.
The Games were first held there in 776 BC and remained there for 12 centuries. Acting the role of the high priestess, Greek actress Katerina Lechou lit the torch using a concave mirror to focus the sun's rays, before placing it into a ceramic bowl. An olive branch was cut and a white dove released into the blue spring sky, both symbolizing peace. The flaming torch, which has its own Twitter account, was handed to its first torchbearer, gold medal-winning Greek gymnast Eleftherios Petrounias, before beginning its six-day relay across the country.
Rio 2016 Olympics day-by-day events to watch – OlympicTalk. The complete Rio Olympic competition schedule was released Tuesday, allowing Games fans to start setting up their viewing schedules for August 2016.
Here’s a daily look at potentially intriguing events (all times Eastern): Friday, Aug. 5 — Opening Ceremony The Olympics will open at the famed Maracanã, though preliminary soccer matches will be played the preceding two days, as has been the case since 2000. The Opening Ceremony will be highlighted by the Parade of Nations and cauldron lighting, the final torch bearer always a closely guarded secret. (Of note, the final torch bearer has actually been multiple people at the last three Olympics, so it will be interesting to see if Rio ends that streak.) Saturday, Aug. 6 — Day 1 Gymnastics: Men’s qualification.
Swimming (9 p.m.): The women’s 4x100m freestyle relay could be another U.S. RELATED: Missy Franklin turns pro, starts plotting course to Rio 2016 Sunday, Aug. 7 — Day 2 Gymnastics: Women’s qualification. Monday, Aug. 8 — Day 3. 2014 Olympic Videos, Photos, News. Rio 2016™ Olympic Games - A city leaps forward (Official Trailer) What the Olympics means for the people of Rio. A year before the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics, Rio de Janeiro is a city in motion, rehearsing, training, driving, sweeping, protesting, calculating and preparing for arguably the biggest event in its history.
At the Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca, a small forest of cranes swings back and forth over the velodrome and gymnasium even as the last few hold-outs in a nearby favela resist police attempts to forcibly remove them. On the banks of the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon, labourers bolt together seating for rowing spectators as frustrated commuters nearby sit in endless traffic jams and wonder how the roads will cope with the influx of visitors.
There is work on the waters of Guanabara Bay, on subway expansion under the luxury condominiums of Leblon, in city halls and police meeting rooms. It is all geared to providing answers to the two key questions facing any Games: “Will it be ready on time?” And, more importantly, “Will it be worthwhile?” By contrast, Copacabana is a haven. Olympic Games (2016) Next Summer Olympic Games in Brazil. All sportsAll sportsAlpine SkiingAmerican footballArcheryAthleticsBadmintonBaseballBaseball-SoftballBasketballBasque PelotaBeach VolleyballBiathlonBobsleighBoxingCanoeCanoe SlalomCanoe SprintCricketCroquetCross Country SkiingCurlingCyclingCycling BMXCycling Mountain BikeCycling RoadCycling TrackDivingEquestrianEquestrian / DressageEquestrian / EventingEquestrian / JumpingEquestrian / VaultingFencingFigure skatingFootballFreestyle SkiingGolfGymnastics ArtisticGymnastics RhythmicHandballHockeyIce HockeyJeu de PaumeJudoLacrosseLugeMilitary PatrolModern PentathlonNordic CombinedPoloRacketsRink-HockeyRoqueRowingRugbySailingShootingShort Track Speed SkatingSkeletonSki JumpingSnowboardSoftballSpeed skatingSpeed skiingSquashSwimmingSynchronized SwimmingTable TennisTaekwondoTennisTrampolineTriathlonTug of WarVolleyballWater MotorsportsWater PoloWater SkiingWeightliftingWrestlingWrestling FreestyleWrestling Greco-Roman.
Rio 2016: #100daystogo. With 100 days until the Games begin, Brazil is unraveling fast -- largely overshadowing the impending arrival of sport's greatest showpiece.
Who needs the staple pre-Olympic media diet of venue delays and security fears when you have a leader facing impeachment, a gigantic corruption scandal and a global public health emergency? As the clock ticks, it is impossible to know who will occupy the seat reserved for the Brazilian president at the August 5 opening ceremony.
The incumbent, Dilma Rousseff, is alleged to have manipulated her government's economic figures prior to 2014's election. She says the consequent impeachment proceedings against her are a "coup" she will fight to the last. Leading her opponents is Eduardo Cunha, speaker of Brazil's lower house. Hundreds of thousands of protesters on both sides routinely take to Brazil's streets. A lawyer in the northeastern city of Fortaleza, he and a group of friends run a daily Portuguese-language Olympics website named Surto Olimpico. Crises. Rio 2016 Olympics & Paralympics - Summer Games in Brazil.