Jump to content

Rio-2016 News


Recommended Posts

Attention all collectors – sticker album for Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games is launched25/05/2016 — 16H30

Olympians and Paralympians share pages with maascots and history of the Games

kZ_qr8XE.jpg

Brazilian gymnastics star Diego Hypolito points to his own sticker in the official album for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)

The official illustrated sticker album for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games was launched on Wednesday (25 May) at a star-studded ceremony at the Olympic city's glitzy horse-racing track. The album and stickers will go on sale in Brazil on Friday (3 June).

They proved an instant hit with athletes who are among the collection. "I have always collected stickers," said basketball player Anderson Varejão of NBA team the Golden State Warriors. "I can't wait to get my own sticker." Varejão holds pride of place on the cover of the Rio 2016 album, alongside women's football star Marta and record-breaking Paralympic swimmer Daniel Dias.

Brazilian gymnast Diego Hypolito was also excited to see the album and stickers. "I came here straight from training," he said. "I love collecting."

To complete the 56 pages of the album, collectors will have to hunt down a total of 374 stickers. The majority of the stickers are of Brazilian athletes who will be competing at Rio 2016, plus other Brazilians who made their mark at previous Games, such as swimmer Ricardo Prado, silver medallist at Los Angeles 1984.

"It's great to have this recognition after such a long time," said Prado, who is now director of aquatic sports at Rio 2016.

Mascots Tom and Vinicius debut Lego look for Rio 2016

cdipi1MR.jpgParalympic swimming star Joana Neves will be filling in the album with her eight-year old daughter (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)

The Rio 2016 organising committee has produced the album in partnership with Italian publishing group Panini. The publishers expect to sell more than a million copies across Brazil.

Stickers and stories

There is much more to the album than just stickers of Brazilian athletes. The album also covers the story of the Games from their birth in ancient Greece, their revival at Athens 1896, the start of the Paralympic Games at Rome 1960 up to the first Games to be held in South America, in just over two months' time. Within its pages, Rio 2016 mascots Vinicius and Tom share the limelight with Moscow 1980 counterpart Misha the bear and a series of today's interrnational stars, such as Usain Bolt, Lebron James and Novak Djokovic.

The album also includes a handy map and guide to the competition venues for Rio 2016.

RqFRz1Gg.jpg

A small group of lucky children were invited to the launch and immediately set about filling in their albums and swapping stickers. "I really want Neymar," eight-year-old Pedro Toledo said. "I think it's going to be one of hardest to find stickers."

7xk_RcZ8.jpgBrazilian children didn't wait long before getting down to the important business of trading stickers (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)

https://www.rio2016.com/en/news/attention-all-collectors-sticker-album-for-rio-2016-olympic-and-paralympic-games-is-launched

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Corcovado will have extended hours during the Games
24 de May de 2016

7096030705_a38b1ab622_b.jpg

5599436533_53bd48e394_b.jpg

Main tourist attraction of the city, Christ the Redeemer will have visiting hours extended during the Olympic Games. The concessionaire who runs the site reported that the lure will run from 8 am to 21h to receive all interested tourists. Another change announced Wednesday is on the purchase of tickets, which from July will be held by internet, post offices or lottery shops, totaling about 30 thousand points. There will be no ticket sales on the Corcovado train station in the neighborhood of Cosme Velho. Tickets are priced at $ 68 with discounts for seniors and children.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exclusive: Brazil investigating possible corruption at Olympic venues-Reuters

Federal investigations have previously focused on "legacy" modernization projects not directly tied to the Games but this newly disclosed probe includes Olympic Park and the Deodoro area where Olympic venues are located, federal prosecutor Leandro Mitidieri said.

"It's not just the physical works we're looking at - it is contracts for services, security, everything that used federal funds," he told Reuters from his Rio de Janeiro office late on Tuesday.

Mitidieri would not say if his team had uncovered any proof of corruption - but he added that detailed announcements about the investigation's results would be made in coming weeks.

Five construction firms are building most of the 39 billion reais ($10.8 billion) worth of venues and infrastructure needed for Rio's Olympics. The figure includes at least 1.76 billion reais in federal funds, according to documents from Brazil's federal accounting court.

All five companies are caught up in an investigation into price fixing and kickbacks at state-run oil company Petrobras, a two-year probe that has seen scores of top executives and politicians jailed, charged or under investigation.

Odebrecht is at the center of the Petrobras scandal and is involved in over half of all Olympic projects by value, according to contracts reviewed by Reuters.

A spokeswoman for Odebrecht said by email that the company had no comment to make.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

/\/\ I didn't know The Christ was so hard to get to. Also, have they thought of putting the statue on a revolving platform, so "He" can "watch" all over Rio, not just one side?? :)

No. The other side is the Tijuca National Park (Floresta da Tijuca).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure if this has already been posted or this is the right to post. Anyways - the medal cases have been made in Portugal out of wood and are an irregular spherical shape rather like the pictogram logos - so guessing the medals themselves will be the same shape?

http://www.tsf.pt/economia/interior/estojo-das-medalhas-olimpicas-do-rio-2016-e-feito-em-portugal-5199532.html

Sorry link is in Potuguese

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go inside the Rio 2016 Olympic Games venues... without leaving your armchair31/05/2016 — 18H18By Rio 2016

For the first time in Olympic history, fans can view arenas from an athlete's standpoint thanks to partnership with Google Street View

y_nOGVjl.jpg

Google Street View operator Marcus Leal approaches the Olympic Tennis Centre with a ‘Trekker’ (Photo: Google)

Can’t wait for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games? Dying to get a look inside the venues where the world’s best athletes will go for gold this August? Well, now you can – and from the comfort of your home – thanks to a pioneering partnership between Rio 2016 and Google.

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, fans will be able to ‘enter’ the venues via Google Street View and get a 360-degree view of the stadiums, arenas and pools were the likes of Usain Bolt, LeBron James and Michael Phelps will do their stuff.

“Street View gives users a unique chance to see the venues from the same perspective that athletes will have during the Games,” said Rio 2016 communications director Adriana Garcia.

Google uses state-of-the-art portable technology to gather the imagery in locations only accessible on foot. The ‘Trekker’ is a 18kg backpack fitted with 15 sophisticated cameras that is carried around the venues by a technician. The Street View Trolley, mainly used for navigating inside buildings, fits all the necessary recording equipment onto a push-trolley mounted with a camera system.

cOg2YOOZ.jpgA Google worker uses the Trekker to photograph the Olympic BMX Centre (Photo: Rio 2016)

While Google Street View provided the same service for stadiums used in the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil, this is the first time Olympic venues have been systematically catalogued.

mizh1rAU.jpgThe Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Barra Olympic Park, as seen on Google Street View

The project began in the second half of 2015 and more than 20 sporting venues have already been mapped, photographed and uploaded. By the time the Games begin in August, the aim is to have all 37 venues (32 in Rio plus five in the football co-host cities) uploaded for public viewing.

Find out which sports will take place in which venues

RjrVNTL2.jpgThere were some perks to the job, such as this view of São Conrado beach

The venues below can now all be explored on Google Street View.

1) Maracanã

2) Sambódromo

3) Olympic Stadium

4) Lagoa Stadium

5) Fort Copacabana

6) Youth Arena

7) Olympic Shooting Centre

8) Olympic Equestrian Centre

9) Olympic BMX Centre

10) Mountain Bike Centre

11) Whitewater Stadium

12) Olympic Hockey Centre

13) Olympic Golf Course

14) Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre

15) Future Arena

16) Olympic Aquatics Stadium

17) Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador

18) Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia

19) Amazônia Arena in Manaus

20) Mineirão in Belo Horizonte

21) Corinthians Arena in São Paulo

https://www.rio2016.com/en/news/go-inside-the-rio-2016-olympic-games-venues-with-Google-Street-View

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rio Games refugee team will have 10 athletes - IOC

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, June 3 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday unveiled its first ever team of refugees which will have 10 members and 12 officials and will compete at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games under the Olympic flag.

On what IOC President Thomas Bach called a "historic day", the team includes five athletes from South Sudan, two from Syria, two from Democratic Republic of Congo and one from Ethiopia.

"These refugee athletes have no home, no team, no flag, no national anthem," Bach said. "The invention of this refugee team is to give them a home in the Olympic village together with all the athletes around the world."

The athletes, six men and four women, will compete in the sports of swimming, judo and athletics.

"The Olympic anthem will be played in their honour, the Olympic flag will lead them into the stadium," Bach said.

"It can send a symbol of hope for all refugees in the world and can send a signal to the international community that refugees are our fellow human beings and are an enrichment to society."

The team will be housed in the athletes' village along with all other national teams and will enter the stadium as the penultimate team at the opening ceremony, ahead of the host nation.

The IOC had said it wanted to draw the world's attention to the plight of refugees. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)

Reuters

http://af.reuters.com/article/drcNews/idAFL4N18V3RO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Should Latin America (and Others) Boycott


the Rio Olympics to Defend Brazil


Democracy?


By: Pablo Vivanco



Much of Latin America opposes the coup in Brazil, and the groundwork for a regional boycott is already in place. In early May, Brazilian soccer legend and former World Player of the Year, Rivaldo, took to social media to warn tourists against going to visit his native Brazil for the 2016 Olympics.



“I advise everyone with plans to visit Brazil for the Olympics in Rio — to stay home,” Rivaldo wrote on his instagram account in a comment mentioning the violence in the country. Importantly however, the 2002 World Cup winner also the country’s “political mess” as an issue that would be a concern for tourists safety.



Whether or not foreigners would be at risk following the May 12 parliamentary coup against President Dilma Rousseff, the ex-Barcelona star’s comments raise important questions about the impact that a boycott - whether from tourists or countries - would have on Brazil’s current predicament.



http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Can-Latin-America-Defend-Democracy-via-Rio-Olympics-Boycott-20160529-0036.html


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Should Latin America (and Others) Boycott the Rio Olympics to Defend Brazil Democracy?

No.

I agree a boycott is the last thing that this country needs, but for a totally different reason. The economy in Brazil is a disaster right now, and a boycott will further screw with that. Let's be real, these games were never going to make a profit, but the least that the rest of the world can do is help diminish the total loss for these games. Let's try and avoid another Greece situation.

For anyone visiting Rio right now and during the games, I suggest you avoid blowjays, giving and receiving!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/health/zika-oral-sex-kissing-transmission.html

Zika May Be Transmitted by Oral Sex, Scientists Find

Scientists raised the possibility that the Zika virus can be transmitted by oral sex — perhaps even by kissing — on Friday in a letter to The New England Journal of Medicine describing one such case in France.

A single incident may seem trivial. But until early this year, there was only one known instance of sexual transmission of the Zika virus — a 2008 case in which a mosquito researcher just back from Africa infected his wife in Colorado.

Now scientists believe that sexual transmission is an important driver of the Zika epidemic in the Americas. Cases have been reported in 10 countries where no mosquitoes carry the virus, including France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and New Zealand.

In the French case, a 46-year-old man returned to Paris from Rio de Janeiro on Feb. 10, shortly after experiencing Zika symptoms in Brazil — fever, headache and a rash — that had just ended when he reached France.

He and a 24-year-old partner had sex seven times between Feb. 11 and Feb. 20, each involving vaginal sex without ejaculation and oral sex with ejaculation.

The woman fell ill on Feb. 20. Both were tested for Zika infection on Feb. 23. The man had high levels of the virus in his semen and urine, but none in his blood or saliva. The woman had the virus in her urine and saliva, and antibodies to the virus in her blood. But a vaginal swab was negative for the infection.

The two were using oral sex as a form of birth control, said Dr. Yazdan Yazdanpanah, an infectious disease specialist at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Paris and one of the report’s authors.

“I don’t think this changes anything, but it shows you how elaborate the number of avenues of possible transmission can be,” said Dr. William Schaffner, head of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical School.

He agreed that the most likely transmission route was oral sex, although he said it was possible that the woman was infected by pre-ejaculate during vaginal sex, or that the couple’s recollections of each sex act were imperfect.

“It could be that it’s a moment of passion, it’s late at night and everyone’s had a few liqueurs,” he said.

Dr. Yazdanpanah said the two were interviewed separately and their descriptions matched.

Dr. John T. Brooks, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studying sexual transmission of the Zika virus, said he was “not particularly surprised” to see transmission that was probably by oral sex.

Transmission through kissing is unlikely, Dr. Brooks said.

“Casual kissing has got to be safe because, if it weren’t, don’t you think we’d see a lot more Zika? Every mom who kissed her baby would pass it on,” he said. “To be sure, we’d have to look for deep kissing in the absence of sexual contact, and that’s hard to find.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Given the current level of international concern, I have decided to ask members of the Zika Emergency Committee to examine the risks of holding the Olympic Summer Games as currently scheduled," Chan wrote.

WHO declared the Zika epidemic to be a global emergency in February and in its latest assessment this week said it "does not see an overall decline in the outbreak."


Critics say WHO has an overly close relationship with the International Olympic Committee so it can't provide objective advice on Olympic issues.

IOC president Thomas Bach, however, refuted claims the organization had pressured WHO to shirk its public health responsibilities.

Edited by paul
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Schedule forecasts end of impeachment in the middle of the Olympics

The final judgment on the mandate loss of the suspended president Dilma Rousseff is expected to happen in the middle of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, according to the schedule approved today (6) by the Impeachment Commission.

[...]

Then there will be 14-day deadline for the final judgment of the senators on the definitive cancellation Dilma's term. Thus, the vote should take place on August 16 i n the middles of the Olympics, which will take place between 5 and 21 August.

[...]

http://noticias.terra.com.br/brasil/politica/impeachment/cronograma-do-impeachment-preve-fim-do-julgamento-no-meio-da-olimpiada,9ef888395217e34ab8b7576a9c0a73e8b3syv1e4.html

PT is getting what it wants. There was a decision to anticipate the final judgement to July 13, but Dilma's defense didn't accepted and protested against the decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brazil Police Raid Consortium Building Olympic Venue in Rio de Janeiro-WSJ

RIO DE JANEIRO—Brazil’s Federal Police raided the headquarters of a consortium of companies building one of the main Olympic centers in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, highlighting concerns that fraud may have tainted Games-related construction projects.

In a terse note, the police said they have found evidence of fraud in “the transportation and destination of solid residues, with the falsification of public documents and elevation of costs” at Rio’s Deodoro sports complex. The police said a judge also froze 128 million reais in federal funds to pay for the project.

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes has long denied that any of the Olympics-related contracts were exposed to graft.

New research finds low risk of Zika virus at Olympics

One Sao Paulo-based research group predicted the Rio Olympics would result in no more than 15 Zika infections among the foreign visitors expected to attend the event, according to data reviewed by Reuters.

The projection echoes that of a separate group of Brazilian scientists, also based at the University of Sao Paulo, in a study published in the journal Epidemiology & Infection in April. It found the Olympics would result in no more than 16 additional cases of the disease.

Neither study attempted to assess the risk of even a single Olympics traveler carrying the virus back to a vulnerable home country - a central concern of recent calls to reconsider the venue of the Games.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...