Saturday, March 5, 2016

What you need to know about Rio de Janeiro and the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics

With Rio de Janeiro in Brazil hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics Games, Brazil has become the first Portuguese speaking country as well as the first South American nation to host this prestigious multi sporting games, which comes once every four years and was last held in London; United Kingdom in the year 2012.

This is a good time to have a look at some general information on Rio de Janeiro. The Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, known as Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016 in Portuguese or simply referred to as Rio 2016 Summer Olympics will commence on the 3rd of August and go all the way to the 21st of August, while the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympics or in Portuguese Jogos Paralímpicos de Verão de 2016 will start on the 7th of September and end on the 18th of September.

This means there will be 17 days of Summer Olympics and 11 days of Paralympics, with most of the action in venues in Rio. Only five other venues are out of Rio de Janeiro and these will host only Summer Olympics football sport for both men and women.

Generally, the venues for the coming 2016 Summer Olympics can be classified into either venues in Rio de Janeiro or 2016 Summer Olympics Venues out of Rio de Janeiro.

The 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics venues in Rio are grouped into 4 clusters as indicated below:

Barra da Tijuca Olympics Venues Clusters

• Deodoro Olympics Venues Clusters

• Copacabana Olympics Venues Clusters

• Maracana Olympics Venues Clusters

Overview on Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is the Capital City of one of the 27 states of Federal Republic of Brazil with the same name. This state is the located on the south east side of Brazil. Its bordered by Sao Paulo in the South, Minas Gerais whose capital city is Belo Horizante and in the west and Espírito Santo; the state where Brazils capital; Brasilia is locate borders Rio to the north. Rio de Janeiro states together with other 2 states are the smallest Brazilian states. Brazil is the 3rd smallest and ranked at 24 in size. Rio’s metropolitan area is 4557 square kilometers.

But despite the small size, Rio de Janeiro is the second most populous city in Brazil, after Sao Paulo. Rio has a metropolitan population of about 6.4 million people according to the 2014 Brazil Census.

The name Rio de Janeiro when translated into English means River of January and it is this great city that will host the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics sporting events. It was established on 1st of March of 1565, by then the colonial powers; Portugal, therefore making it one of the oldest cities in Brazil, together with Salvador and Sao Paulo. It has been the capital city of Brazil, first from 1808 for seven year to 1815 when it became a Kingdom as part of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. This was after Brazil was elevated from a state to a Kingdom by King D. John VI. From 1822 Rio was the capital of the Empire of Brazil for 67 years from 1822 to 1889. After Brazil gained its independence from Portugal in 1825, it became the capital city of the new Republic of Brazil and would remain so for 135 years when it relinquished it capital city status to the newly established Brasilia; the country’s capital city since 1960.

Where to go when in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is a city of great sites, mountain and beaches. When you go to Rio, either for the Summer Olympics and Paralympics or as a visitor, make sure that you sample their samba and carnival. Also watch the sun set at the Ipanema beach, a view that will remain with you the rest of your life. Also visit the Copacabana beach and take a stroll on this wonderful beach, one of the best in the world and while you are there, make a point of visiting Fort Copacabana and listen to the history of Brazil Military. Besides, ensure that you visit the almost 400 meters high Sugarloaf Mountain which is also a seventh wonder of the world. You cannot miss to visit Christ the Redeemer statue, the most known symbol of Rio de Janeiro on top of Corcovado Mountain. There is so much to do in Rio, surely you cannot lack a story to tell when you go back home.

Rio de Janeiro as the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics

As much as Rio is the first South American City to host either the Summer Olympics or Paralympics, it’s among the five American cities to have hosted Olympics Summer games, with St Louis in Missouri being the first to have ever hosted a Summer Olympics event; the 1904 Summer Olympics. Los Angeles become the host city for the 1932 Summer Olympics, while Mexico City became the third American city to have ever hosted Summer Olympics games; the 1968 Summer Olympics. Eight years later, Canada’s Montreal hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics, becoming the fourth America city to become a host of the Olympics games and after another 8 years, Los Angeles in USA hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics for the second time and in 1996, Atlanta, Georgia hosted these prestigious multi sports events.

Rio therefore is hosting these Summer Olympics Games at the backdrop of previous success in cities in the America continents (south and north) hosting same events for 7 times. This is not counting the Winter Olympics where USA Lake Placid become the first American city to have ever hosted a Winter Olympics games; 1932 edition. Squaw Valley in California became the second city to host a Winter Olympics edition; this was the 1960 Winter Olympics. Lake Placid in New York hosted the 1980 Edition of the Winter Olympics for the second time and Calgary, became the first Canadian city to have ever hosted a Winter Olympics by hosting the 1988 edition of the games. The 2002 Winter Olympics were yet held in an America city; Salt Lake City in Utah USA and Canada for the second time hosted a Winter Olympics edition in Vancouver in the year 2010.

In the coming edition of the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, Rio has set aside 32 venues for the sporting events. See 2016 Summer Olympics Venues in Rio de Janeiro.

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