2016 Summer Olympics

The 2016 Summer Olympics, also called Rio 2016, were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to August 21, 2016. This international multi-sport event brought together athletes from all over the world to compete in many different sports. Thousands of athletes from many countries took part, making it a very big event.

These Olympics were special because they were the first to be held in South America and in a Portuguese-speaking country. New sports like rugby sevens and golf were added, giving athletes new ways to compete. The events happened in Rio de Janeiro and other cities in Brazil.

The United States won the most medals. Great Britain came in second, and China was third. Some countries, such as Bahrain, Fiji, and Vietnam, won their first-ever Olympic gold medals, which made the games exciting for many nations.

Bidding process

Main article: Bids for the 2016 Summer Olympics

The race to host the 2016 Summer Olympics began on May 16, 2007. Cities needed to send their first application to the International Olympic Committee by September 13, 2007. They had to finish their official bids by January 14, 2008. In June 2008, four cities were chosen as finalists: Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo. Three other cities—Baku, Doha, and Prague—were not chosen.

An Evaluation Commission visited each finalist city to check their plans. The final decision was made on October 2, 2009, in Copenhagen. After two rounds of voting, Rio de Janeiro was chosen to host the Games, beating Madrid in the final round.

Development and preparations

Before the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, some changes happened in the team organizing the Games. Two important leaders left their jobs before the event started.

The Games used many different places to hold competitions. Some were already built, while others were made just for the Olympics. Events happened in four main areas of Rio: Barra, Copacabana, Deodoro, and Maracanã. Big stadiums like Maracanã Stadium, which held football finals, were part of the celebrations. The athletes' village had many things for everyone staying there.

The Barra Olympic Park had nine different sports areas, including places for basketball, wrestling, and swimming. Football games also took place in cities like São Paulo and Belo Horizonte. The city of Rio also worked on making its downtown area nicer and building new roads and bike paths for everyone to use.

The medals for the Olympics were made from recycled materials, and a special torch relay traveled through more than 300 cities in Brazil before the Games began. Thousands of volunteers helped with many tasks during the event. The Games also tried to be friendly to the environment by using recycled materials and planning for future green projects.

The Games

The opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics was at Maracanã Stadium on August 5, 2016. It showed important parts of Brazilian history and culture. Famous directors Fernando Meirelles, Daniela Thomas, and Andrucha Waddington planned the ceremony. It talked about taking care of our planet and stopping global warming. The Games were started by Brazil’s acting president, Michel Temer. The Olympic flame was lit by Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, a marathon runner who won a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics.

The 2016 Olympics had 28 different sports with 306 events where athletes could win medals. Two new sports, golf and rugby sevens, were added to the games. These sports had been in the Olympics before but were back after many years. During the Games, many world and Olympic records were broken in sports like swimming and athletics. The closing ceremony happened on August 21, 2016, also at Maracanã Stadium. It had performances from Brazil and Japan, the next host country, and passed the Olympic flag to Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Participating National Olympic Committees

All 205 National Olympic Committees had at least one athlete. The first three nations to qualify were Germany, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. Brazil, as the host nation, had automatic entry for some sports.

The 2016 Summer Olympics were the first Games where Kosovo and South Sudan could join. Kuwait was not allowed because of government problems, so its athletes took part as "Independent Olympic Athletes".

Number of athletes by National Olympic Committee

11,238 athletes from 207 NOCs

Refugee athletes

Main article: Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Because of the European migrant crisis, the IOC let athletes compete as Independent Olympians under the Olympic Flag. A special Refugee Olympic Team (ROT) was made, with 10 athletes chosen to represent it.

Independent athletes

Main article: Independent Olympic Athletes at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Because Kuwait’s National Olympic Committee was suspended, athletes from Kuwait could compete under the Olympic Flag as Independent Olympic Athletes.

During the Games, some countries and continents had national houses. These were temporary meeting places in Rio de Janeiro.

Calendar

The 2016 Summer Olympics had a schedule released on March 31, 2015. Ticket sales started the same day. All dates were based on Brasília Time, which is UTC–3. The events took place between August 3 and August 21, 2016. The main Games ran from August 5 to August 21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

See also: Chronological summary of the 2016 Summer Olympics

Medal table

Further information: List of 2016 Summer Olympics medal winners

The top ten countries by the number of gold medals won at the 2016 Summer Olympics are shown below. The host country, Brazil, placed 13th with a total of 19 medals, including 7 gold, 6 silver, and 6 bronze.

Key

 ‡  Changes in medal standings (see here)

  *   Host nation (Brazil)

Broadcasting

Main article: List of 2016 Summer Olympics broadcasters

Olympic Broadcasting Services was the main broadcaster for the 2016 Games. They made and shared many hours of TV and digital video with broadcasters around the world. For the first time, more digital video was made than TV video. Special types of video, like 8K resolution and 360-degree virtual reality, were also used.

In Brazil, Grupo Globo bought the rights to show the Games on TV, online, and on pay TV. This meant many people in Brazil could watch the Olympics in different ways. The International Olympic Committee gave awards in 2017 for the best broadcasts, with winners including NBC Olympics and TV Globo.

Marketing

Mascots

Main article: Vinicius and Tom

The official mascots for the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were introduced on 24 November 2014. They were created by an animation company in São Paulo. The mascots were named Vinicius and Tom. Vinicius was named after a famous Brazilian musician. The names were chosen by a public vote.

Emblem

The official emblem for the 2016 Summer Olympics was designed by a Brazilian agency and revealed on 31 December 2010. The emblem shows three figures joined together, inspired by Sugarloaf Mountain. It was the first 3D logo in Olympic history.

Concerns and controversies

Main article: Concerns and controversies at the 2016 Summer Olympics

The Rio Olympics had some big worries before it started. Brazil had political and money troubles. There were also concerns about the Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes. The water where some sports happened was very dirty. Some Russian athletes used special drugs to get better, which is not fair.

Because of Brazil’s problems, many people were unsure if the country could host the Olympics. There were protests and money issues, but the Games still happened. The Zika virus made some athletes and visitors nervous, but no one got sick during the Olympics. The dirty water in Guanabara Bay was cleaned up as much as possible before the Games. Many Russian athletes could not compete because of the drugs, but some were allowed after checks. Even with these issues, the Olympics went well.