The Olympic flame lands in Rio as the world prepares itself to be enchanted by Brazilian samba. More than 11,000 of the best athletes in the world will be competing against each other in 306 events across 28 sports in the 15-day event.
The opening ceremony of the Olympics has always been a grand spectacle showcasing the culture of the host nation. The directors put in their best efforts to put forward the best of the host nations flavour and uphold the tradition of the Olympics including the parade of the nations and the lighting of the cauldron.
In 2008, China spent a reported $100 million on the opening ceremony alone at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing. England had also spent a fortune for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012.
Also read: Rio Olympics 2016: Top 10 Olympic facts
Renowned Brazilian director, Fernando Meirelles, who’s most famously known for his City of God, will combine with Andrucha Waddington and Daniela Thomas who were in-charge of the closing ceremony in London, to direct the approximately four-hour long event in Rio.
Reportedly given only a fraction of the budget of what was spent in London four years ago, Meirelles will be determined to make it up with creativity and style, with over 6,000 volunteers practising for over three months for the gala event.
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Time, Date and Venue
The opening ceremony is scheduled on 5 August in Rio de Janeiro at 8PM local time. Therefore, in India, it begins at 4:30am the next day, that is on Saturday, 6 August.
The venue for the opening ceremony will be the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The Maracana has hosted several important events in football like the 1950 and 2014 World Cup final. The stadium can hold almost 80,000 people.
TV and Broadcast details
The TV rights to the Olympics in Rio is held by Star Sports and it will be covered live in both English and Hindi.
Live Stream Details
You can catch all the action live on the internet on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Parade of the Nations
1) Greece will enter first in Parade of the Nations with the host nation Brazil entering last. India has been given the 95th slot.
2) Olympic Gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra will be the flag bearer for the Indian contingent.
3) The cauldron will be lit by Brazilian football legend Pele.
4) The opening ceremony is expected to be witnessed by more than 900 million people worldwide.
