In six months at the Rio Olympics, a wide range of settings will greet sports & athletes fans, from the magnificent Maracana stadium to a sewage-filled bay.
This is the first time the Summer Games are hosted by a South American city & the challenge has been made all tougher for Brazil since the economy went into free-fall.
According to organizers, the best news is that nearly all stadiums & arenas are either complete or 97% prepared.
But then with Brazil’s recession showing no let-up, the pressure is on.
STORY OF FOUR CITIES
For the Rio Olympics, Brazil’s most iconic city has been divided into 4 hubs. The Olympic Park in the well-off western Barra de Tijuca area is the chief complex, which particularly will have most swimming, tennis, gymnastics, judo and wrestling events.
Deodoro, a meek neighbourhood in the northwest of Rio that generally doesn’t get many tourists, will have sports comprising field hockey, riding, rugby sevens and canoeing.
Rowing, sailing, beach volleyball & long-distance swimming events will be conducted at or near the famous Copacabana beach, southern Rio.
Some dazzling events — the opening & closing ceremonies and athletics competitions — will be held in two northern football stadiums: the famous Maracana & the Joao Havelange stadium, now also known as the Olympic Stadium.
The football tournament will be spread around the country at former 2014 World Cup sites, before final rounds focus in Rio at the Maracana & Olympic stadiums.
Glimpse of Rio 2016: Olympics Park
The Museum of Tomorrow is a standout architectural monument in Rio’s harbor zone, revitalized as part of the city’s Olympic preparations.
Main Press Center or MPC, where all the journalists will gather, while reporting on Rio Olympics.
The Aquatics Stadium is described by its architects as, “basically a glass boxâ€.