On the first day of the Summer Olympics, a men’s cycling road race was held along Rio de Janeiro’s beautiful beaches.
On the evening of August 5, 2016, fans and athletes gathered in the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics. There they watched a presentation that showcased the music and dance that Brazil is famous for, such as samba. The ceremony also included a video showing the effects of climate change on Brazil and the rest of the world.
During the opening ceremony, the Olympic torch relay finished when Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima lit the Olympic cauldron. De Lima is a Brazilian runner who won a bronze medal for running a marathon in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Brazil is the first South American country to host the Olympics. All of the events are taking place in Rio and in five other cities in Brazil. The Summer Olympics take place once every four years. The Olympics, which began in 1896, are based on games that were held in ancient Greece.
About 11,000 athletes from 206 different countries are taking part in this year’s Summer Olympics. They are competing in 42 sports, ranging from archery to volleyball to water polo. Each competitor hopes to win a gold, silver, or bronze medal in his or her sport. The games began the day after the opening ceremony.
Team USA jumped to the top of the medal board, winning the most medals in the games so far. The American women gymnasts, nicknamed the “Final Five,” won the team gymnastics event. American swimmer Michael Phelps won five gold medals and one silver at these games, making a career total of 28 Olympic medals! He has won more medals than any other Olympian. Katie Ledecky, a 19-year-old American swimmer, has won four gold medals, one silver medal, and set two world records.
Athletes from around the world excelled in different sports. Rafaela Silva won Brazil’s first gold medal of this year’s Olympics. She won in the 57-kilogram division of women’s judo. Famous Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won the gold in the men’s 100-meter race. He became the first man ever to win gold in this event three Olympics in a row. Tennis player Monica Puig won the first-ever gold medal for Puerto Rico.
For the first time, a refugee team is taking part in the Olympics. The team is made up of 10 athletes, most of whom fled their homes as children because of violence and persecution in their countries. These displaced men and women come from South Sudan, Syria, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are competing under the Olympic flag and represent an estimated 65 million refugees worldwide.
People in different time zones were able to watch events live over the Internet. Social media continues to be an important way to find out about Olympic events. This time different social media sites also offered live video of events. This allowed people to get a different view of the games.
During the games, many athletes stay in the Olympic Village where they live among other athletes from all over world. As the athletes compete for medals, they also enjoy watching other athletes compete and making new friends.
Image credit: ©Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Related Links
- Rio 2016 Olympics
Read about all the events at the official site of the Rio 2016 Olympics. - 2016 Rio Olympics/TIME for Kids
Keep up with news of the Rio Olympics at this site by TIME for Kids. - Sports Illustrated Medal Tracker
Track which country leads the medal count at the Sports Illustrated Medal Tracker.
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