Rio 2016

The Rio 2016 Games provided the best possible environment for peak performances. Athletes enjoyed world-class facilities, including a superb village, all located in one of the world’s most beautiful cities, in a compact layout for maximum convenience.

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The competition venues were clustered in four zones – Barra, Copacabana, Deodoro and Maracanã – and connected by a high-performance transport ring. Nearly half of the athletes could reach their venues in less than 10 minutes, and almost 75 per cent could do so in less than 25 minutes. Of the 34 competition venues, eight underwent some permanent works, seven were totally temporary and nine were constructed as permanent legacy venues.

The Rio Games also celebrated and showcased sport, thanks to the city’s stunning setting and a desire to lift event presentation to new heights. At the same time, Rio 2016 was an opportunity to deliver the broader aspirations for the long-term future of the city, region and country – an opportunity to hasten the transformation of Rio de Janeiro into an even greater global city.

Number of torchbearers: ~450 in Greece, ~12,000 in Brazil
Total distance: ~2,235km in Greece, 36,000km in Brazil (20,000 by road and 16,000 by air)
Countries crossed: Greece, Switzerland and Brazil

Named after one of Brazil’s most prominent 20th century cultural icons, Vinicius des Moraes, the mascot for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 constitutes a blend of animals native to Brazil, and symbolises the energy and joie de vivre exuded by the Brazilian people.

The Rio 2016 emblem is inspired by the organisers’ vision, which is: “All Brazilians uniting to deliver the greatest festival on earth and proudly advancing our national promise of progress.” It has, as its essence, the concepts of passion and transformation, which both reflect modern-day Brazil. This positioning is supported by four pillars – harmonious diversity, contagious energy, exuberant nature, and the Olympic spirit. These have all been masterfully combined to give Rio 2016 its colourful identity. This emblem is not only a symbol of Rio’s and Brazil’s hopes for these Games but also for the future of the city and country.

On the obverse, Nike, goddess of victory, flies into the Panathinaikos stadium bringing triumph to the best athlete. For these Games, her figure is accompanied by the specific inscription: “XXXI Olympiada Rio 2016”.

The reverse features laurel leaves – a symbol of victory in the ancient Greece, in the form of the wreaths awarded to competition winners. They are surrounding the Rio 2016 Olympics logo.

Bearing a design that celebrates the relationship between the strengths of Olympic heroes and the forces of nature, the 500g gold, silver and bronze medals have been made with sustainability at their heart. The silver and bronze medals have been produced using 30 per cent recycled materials while the ribbons are made from 50 per cent recycled PET. Meanwhile, the gold medals are completely free of mercury.

The gold medals are purer than ever, meeting sustainability criteria from extraction to refining, as well as meeting strict environmental and labour laws. They make use of recycled raw silver at 92.5 per cent purity, coming from leftover mirrors, waste solders and X-ray plates. And 40 per cent of the copper used in the bronze medals came from waste at the Mint itself. The substance was melted and decontaminated to provide material for the medals.

Number of medals: 812 gold, 812 silver and 864 bronze.
Weight: 500g
Mint: Brazilian Mint

The city of Rio de Janeiro hosted the Games of the XXXI Olympiad. This followed three rounds of voting by members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 2 October 2009 at the 121st IOC Session, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Rio 2016 Alex Ferro

Seven cities were initially proposed by their National Olympic Committees to host the 2016 Games: Chicago (USA), Prague (CZE), Tokyo (JPN), Rio de Janeiro (BRA), Baku (AZE), Doha (QAT) and Madrid (ESP). On 4 June 2008, the IOC Executive Board selected four cities to enter the Candidate City phase of the bid process. Listed in the official order of drawing of lots, these cities were:

• Chicago (USA)
• Tokyo (JPN)
• Rio de Janeiro (BRA)
• Madrid (ESP)

During the vote on 2 October 2009, Rio de Janeiro eventually triumphed by taking 66 votes compared to Madrid's 32. This gave Rio the majority that it needed to be elected as the host city for the 2016 Games. Rio had to overcome stiff competition, however, in the form of Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid in order to get the Games.

21st IOC Session, 2 October 2009, Copenhagen: Election of the Host City of the XXXI Games of the Olympiad