Time of competitions at the Olympics. The Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will open with a ceremony at the Maracanã. Historical gold in tennis

04:40. That's all, the time for the most interesting things has come for the Russian national team and its many fans. Yes, there will still be various kinds of words, songs and dances, but the main thing is that Russia defended these Games for itself and the whole world saw that we will not leave here without medals. This is where we end our live opening ceremony, but we will see you again very soon, literally in 10 hours the full live of the first competition day will begin. All the best to you and good luck!

04:35. The Olympics have begun for us!

04:30. Welcomed quite warmly Russian athletes. Let's wish them good luck!

04:25. We've waited! The Russian team entered the stadium! Our standard bearer is the legendary volleyball player, Olympic champion London Sergei Tetyukhin.

04:15. As we can see, we are behind schedule. We look forward to seeing our athletes.

04:05. Important news!

04:00. The excitement, of course, is incredible. But many people rated the show itself as a little boring. It could have been brighter.

03:50. We are all waiting for the Russian national team! Departure at approximately 04:06 Moscow time.

03:40. Team USA! One of the main contenders for victory. The standard bearer is the most decorated Olympian in history, Michael Phelps.

03:35. Almost a third of the countries have already marched with flags - and this is what the field in the arena looks like.

03:30. World tennis star Caroline Wozniacki with the Danish flag at the opening ceremony.

03:20. The Chinese came out - one of the two strongest sports nations in the world on this moment, along with the USA.

03:10. Brothers Belarusians! We won't forget about them. The flag was carried by Vasily Kiriyenko, who tomorrow will be one of the first to compete for awards in the road group cycling race.

03:05. And these are independent athletes under the IOC flag. Yulia Stepanova could have been among them.

03:00. Parade of athletes.

02:55. The parade of athletes begins. The Greek delegation opens the parade. The order is a little unusual, in particular South Africa is in the first row. And all because it is in Portuguese.

02:50. Now the conversation is not about Brazil, but about the fate of the entire planet - global warming and other threats. All this global warming of 4 degrees and the rise of the world's oceans cannot but affect the fate of Rio. To prevent the environment from deteriorating, there is no need to litter it, but we need to preserve forests, including Brazilian ones.

02:40. Now Maracatu, a folk dance of the state of Pernambuco. It is based on a mixture of musical cultures of the Portuguese, Indians and Africans.

02:35. There is a song that can be translated as a construction. Its author is Chiku Buarque, who came here from Italy in 1970. This is one of the most popular Brazilian songs, which is why the entire stadium sings it. And then a tribute to blacks - capoeira. Performed by a rapper duo from Curitiba.

02:31. And here comes the airplane!

02:35. And now the construction of cities and megalopolises, the formation of modern Brazil. And the creation of an airplane by Santos Dumaine, after whom the airport in Rio is named. This airplane flew only 60 meters in 1906.

02:30. Japanese immigrants, who arrived in large numbers at the beginning of the last century and taught the Brazilians the art of judo and jiu-jitsu, appeared with red flags.

02:25. Here they are, Europeans! Arrived.

02:20. Yes, first the forest appeared as the basis of life in Brazil, and then the first people. And now the Europeans will arrive on ships.

02:15. The Brazilian national anthem was sung by Paulinho da Viola. And this scene symbolizes the origin of life in Brazil.

02:10. A thousand people hold 250 sheets of metallic paper.

02:05. The most beautiful things are about to begin!

02:00. The presenter winds up the fans before the start of the opening ceremony.

01:55. In the center of the arena stands the presenter in all white and speaks in English about peace and love.

01:50. Two aerial figures appeared in the arena.

01:45. Commentator Denis Kazansky is also ready to work and will help fans watch the ceremony.

01:40. The public is waiting for the spectacle! There's not long to wait.

01:35. The final moments of preparation are underway.

01:25. Some more statistics. For the first time, more than 11,000 athletes took part in the opening ceremony. So, a Russian-speaking girl was at the opening ceremony rehearsal, and this is what she said!

01:15. The largest delegations are from the USA, Brazil, Australia, Germany and China. The most common surname is Kim. It is worn by 58 athletes: 45 of South Korea and 13 from Northern. The youngest participant is Nepalese swimmer Gaurika Singh, and the oldest is New Zealand's Julia Brougham (equestrian). By the way, one of the most beautiful athletes in world swimming, Federica Pellegrini, today not only carries the flag of Italy, but also celebrates her 28th birthday.

01:10. Video panorama of the stadium a little over an hour before the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games.

01:00. Fans from the windows of the high-rise building opposite the Maracana observe pandemonium at the entrance.

01:00. Three-time Roland Garros winner tennis player Gustavo Kuerten will replace three-time world football champion Pele and light the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Games. The organizers of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics were forced to turn to Kuerten's candidacy after Pele refused such an honor due to health problems.

00:50. The stadium bowl an hour and a half before the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

00:40. The TV presenter of the Brazilian branch of the ESPN channel begins reporting from the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

00:35. And this is the line in which special correspondents Slyusarenko and Kruglov stood before getting into the stands.

00:30. AIPS magazine is being distributed at the press center. Doping, doping and more doping.

00:25. While the special correspondents of the “Championship” stood in a line that stretched for 200 meters, the legendary 2004 Olympic champion, three-time world champion in heptathlon Caroline Klüft from Sweden walked past them.

00:20. Unfortunately, the stadium seats are dirty. The organizers could have washed it!

00:10. There are still two hours before the opening ceremony, and the Maracana already has huge queues to enter.

00:00. Wow! A Chinese journalist was stuck in an elevator in the Maracanã for half an hour. Volunteers confirmed this information to “Championship” correspondent Grigory Telingater.

23:45. This is what the layout of the Maracanã stadium looks like.

And this is the order of entry of country delegations and other information related to the opening ceremony.

23:30. “Kyuzhnetsova” is something like how foreigners pronounce the names of our Olympians. Watch a fun video about the wonders of transcription.

23:15. Such a picturesque view opens from the stands of the Maracana, where the opening ceremony will take place. Do you see Jesus?

23:05. There is still enough time before the ceremony begins, which means you can plunge headlong into history. For example, watch a video about how previous ones opened Olympic Games.

22:50. The rules of behavior at the opening ceremony of the Olympics are very strict. Apparently, we won’t get selfies from athletes.

22:35. Our correspondent witnessed police cars speeding through the streets of Rio. Should we expect another portion of crime news from the Olympic capital?

However, it is worth recognizing that the Brazilian police with such cars must be prepared for any unrest and incidents.

22:25. The scaffolding at many Olympic venues has not yet been removed. The owners do everything literally at the last moment.

Entrance to the main press center of the Olympics. You can call this place the headquarters of all the journalists who came to these Games.

22:15. For those who will follow the opening ceremony not only via our live, but also turn on the TV receiver, we inform you that Anna Dmitrieva and Denis Kazansky will be commentators on everything that happens in Rio.

22:05. Sergei Tetyukhin today is destined to be the standard bearer of the Russian national team, but for now he and his volleyball team partner Alexei Verbov are having fun with the torch. Well, will you give Tetyukhin his 40th birthday?

21:55. The opening ceremony XXXI Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro may become the most high-tech in the history of the Olympics. A record number of giant LED screens and video systems will be installed at the Rio 2016 competition venues, as well as complete audio and video management solutions to create vibrant and information-rich competition broadcasts. The latest professional equipment will be used for filming.

“On Friday, August 5th, the world will watch as Brazil's vibrant cultural heritage, with all its strength and passion, is brought to life through thousands of actors and the most modern technologies at the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In this theatrical extravaganza, designed by one of the world's most talented and creative teams, we will showcase the best of Brazilian culture and celebrate the beginning of sports festival along with billions of viewers from all corners of the planet,” said Sidney Levy, executive director of the Rio 2016 organizing committee.

21:40. Rio is a city on the hills. Sometimes the roads there are built at an angle of almost 60 degrees.

Here's another contrast. In a matter of minutes there is a wealthy area. No favelas. But there is barbed wire and security at every step.

21:30. What will the upcoming opening ceremony be like? That's what she says creative director Fernando Meirelles:

Our opening ceremony will be different from previous ones. I'm ready for criticism, people on the Internet are already saying it's going to be terrible. Athens, Beijing and London talked about the history and heroic past of their countries, and we will show what we should become in the future. Due to the economic crisis, the budget for the ceremonies (opening and closing of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) decreased from 113.9 to 55.9 million dollars. Most of this money will go towards security. They also cut our staff from 3,000 to 700 people. I am very upset by this, but I understand it. If 40 percent of houses in Brazil do not have sanitation, how can you spend billions on a show? I think our budget is 12 times less than in London and 20 times less than in Beijing.

21:20. Journalists are used to attending accreditation competitions, but even seasoned reporters need a ticket for today's ceremony. This is what it looks like in Rio de Janeiro. For the deputy editor-in-chief of “Championship” Evgeniy Slyusarenko, this is already the fifth such ticket in the collection.

21:10. The infamous favelas of Rio are a state within a state where there are no schools, hospitals or future. All guests of the Olympic Games observe these views from the windows of buses on the way to the competition venues.

20:55. By the way, today is a day off in Rio de Janeiro. The metro, specifically in order to deliver all spectators of the opening ceremony to their homes and hotels, will operate until 2:30 am.

20:45. The splendor and poverty of Rio - there will be many more such pictures from the capital of the 2016 Games. Across the road from the Maracana, all houses are equipped barbed wire. This is a given of life here.

Demonstrated by our special correspondent Grigory Telingater.

20:23. The military had gathered on the outskirts of Maracana since the morning. The Championship special correspondents couldn’t even use their usual route - everything was blocked. Let's take a detour.

20:15. The Russian team will appear at the opening ceremony only for the 159th time. In total, 207 delegations will be represented in Rio. Greece will be the first to emerge as the founder Olympic movement, and the last one is the hosts from Brazil. As for our delegation, it numbers 250 people. Let us remind you that the standard bearer will be the legendary volleyball player and Olympic champion Sergei Tetyukhin.

20:05. Today's ceremony is expected to last three hours, from 8 pm to 11 pm local time. The opening TV audience is expected to be 3.5 billion people! 35 thousand people will be involved in it. Including 12 samba schools will take part in the opening. Where would Brazil be without folk dance?

20:00. Hello, dear sports fans! There is very little left before the start of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil survived the World Cup, and now the Olympic Games will be held in a country where there are many wild monkeys. The opening ceremony is very modest - $20 million, which is half the cost of the same event in London four years ago. However, as you know, money doesn’t solve everything. The organizers promised many surprises, and they should not deceive. The ceremony itself will begin around 2:00 Moscow time, and we are already starting our online text broadcast. Four “Championship” correspondents are located in the vicinity of the “Maracana”, and they intend to tell in detail and show everything that is hidden (by the way, not only today). Stay with us!

The Russian team is still admitted to the Olympic Games, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro in August. For three weeks, all sports fans will be glued to their TV screens to watch new records and victories. Everything you need to know about the main thing sporting event of the four-year anniversary, which will be held for the first time in South America, read our material.

When will the Olympic Games be held in Brazil?

The XXXI Summer Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro from August 5 to 21. At the same time, not only Rio will be involved in the Olympics. Yes, football the tournament will take place in four more cities in the country: Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Salvador and Sao Paulo. Upcoming Games will be the first in South America and the second in Latin America since the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Now the only region where the Olympic flame has not yet been lit is Africa. I think it's a matter of time.

How did Rio de Janeiro become the capital of the Olympics?

Voting for the capital began in 2007. Eight cities have applied to host the XXXI Summer Olympic Games: Baku (Azerbaijan), Doha (Qatar), Madrid (Spain), Prague (Czech Republic), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Tokyo (Japan), Chicago (USA) and Saint-Petersburg, Russia). But due to the fact that Russia received the right to host the Winter Games in Sochi, the northern capital of Russia withdrew its application.

Rio, Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago qualified for the final vote. The selection of the capital took place in Copenhagen (Denmark) at the 121st IOC session on October 2, 2009. Voting took place in the maximum number of rounds - three. In a bitter battle, the Brazilian city beat Madrid by a margin of just a few dozen votes.

Note that Rio de Janeiro submitted applications to host the Summer Olympic Games in 1936, 1940, 2004 and 2012. In early 2014, the International Olympic Committee expressed concern that construction for the Games was behind schedule. Discussed possible variant moving the Olympic Games to London, which already hosted the competition in 2012, but it did not come to that.

The competition will take place during the calendar winter in South America. The temperature during this period ranges from +18 to +25 °C. The time difference between Barnaul and Rio de Janeiro is 10 hours. So it will be very difficult to watch, unless, of course, you suffer from insomnia.

Who became the mascot of the Olympic Games?

The mascots of the competition were two animals, personifying the flora and fauna of Brazil. Vinicius is presented in the form of a yellow animal, similar to a cat. Tom is a collective image of flora. This is a plant made in blue and green colors, which contains features of both a flower and a tree.

Where will the Olympic opening ceremony take place?

The organizers divided the competition venues into four zones: Barra, Deodoro, Maracana, Copacabana. It is on one of the most famous football stadiums the world will host opening and closing ceremonies, as well as football competitions.

There are only a few hours left before the start of the XXXI Summer Olympic Games 2016, which will be held in South America for the first time in history: on August 5, 2016, the opening ceremony of the competition will take place at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, which will last until August 21.

Over the course of 16 days, at four venues in the country - Maracana, Barra, Deodoro, Copacobana - athletes from 200 countries will compete for the title of the strongest on the planet.

Although the script for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games (Russians will be able to watch the broadcast of the opening at 2 a.m. from August 5 to 6 on the Russia 1 TV channel, commentator Dmitry Guberniev) in Rio Brazil is kept in the strictest confidence, some details have already become known. Thus, Western media replicated the words of the executive producer of the ceremony in Rio da Janeiro, who said that the current opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil will be different from many recent ceremonies. The organizers said that in order to save money - hosting the Olympics is very honorable, but very expensive - the opening ceremony of the Olympics will be smaller, but modern and therefore spectacular. By the way, the Brazilians were able to price the opening ceremony at 10% of the cost of a similar event in London.

For viewers from the Russian Federation, the Olympic Games will be broadcast by Channel One, VGTRK, and Match TV.

Countries participating in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, mascots, chances of the Russian national team

The thirty-first Olympic Games in Brazil, which will last sixteen days, will involve 10,500 athletes from 205 countries. They will compete in 42 sports and compete for 306 medals. Even on the last day of the Olympic Games, a few hours before the closing ceremony, athletes in 8 sports will fight for victory.

Interestingly, for the first time in the 2016 Olympics program long years rugby sevens and golf are included, which are not new, but their period of absence is measured in almost a hundred years.

As for the chances of success for our team, which, let us remind you, did not include track and field athletes, it is clear that it will not be able to fight for victory in the Olympic medal standings and the Brazilian Olympics will most likely become the most disastrous in the history of the country. But in some sports, Russians can count on success. We are talking about traditionally “our” disciplines, in which we won many times - wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, synchronized swimming. Other types in which the Russians are strong, but have not yet achieved success, may also “shoot.” These are rowing, shooting, volleyball, water polo and others.

However, every third Russian who took part in the VTsIOM survey is confident that Russia can become a leader medal standings. Only 13% see Chinese athletes first and 12% see the USA first.

It is expected that 10-12 thousand fans from Russia will come to the Olympics in Rio, despite very expensive air tickets (a flight from Moscow and back will cost about 250 thousand rubles). The cheapest tickets for the Rio Olympics cost 14 euros, the most expensive – 420 euros. Ticket prices for the opening ceremony start from 1000 euros.

The mascots of the Brazilian Olympics, named Tom and Vinicius, deserve special attention. Collective images of local fauna and flora - one looks like a cat, the other an exotic flower - were named after famous Brazilian musicians of the last century: Vinicius de Moraes and Antonio Jobim.

There will be 25,000 accredited media representatives working at the 2016 Olympics, and more than 5 billion people intend to watch the competitions live. By the way, the duration of the live broadcast will exceed 5600 hours. 47,000 police and 38,000 military will maintain order and ensure security.

Full schedule of competitions at the 2016 Olympics in Rio

Note: K – qualification, F – final

How Brazil prepared for the 2016 Olympics

The budget for the Rio Olympics was initially $7.2 billion, but as preparations progressed, it increased to $9.8 billion: private companies that were involved in the construction of Olympic venues were involved in a corruption scandal, which ultimately led to even the resignation of the country's president.

In addition to constructing the necessary Olympic facilities, Brazil has seriously “worked” on updating the infrastructure and strengthening security measures.

All competitions will be held in four zones: Barra, Deodoro, Maracana, Copacabana.

Located in Barra Olimpic village, Olympic Park, press center, television center. Swimming and synchronized swimming, water polo and diving, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, trampolining, cycling, tennis, boxing, weightlifting, table tennis, badminton, basketball, judo, taekwondo, wrestling, handball, golf.

In Deodoro (by the way, this is a former military base) they will compete in equestrianism, modern pentathlon, fencing, rowing slalom, cycling and shooting.

The Maracana zone will not only be the site for the opening and closing ceremonies, but will also host football competitions.

In Copacabana, where the world-famous sea beach of the same name is located, water-related competitions will take place: sailing, rowing, triathlon.

By the way, the 2016 Summer Olympics will start at a time when it is calendar winter in South America and the air temperature ranges from +18 to +25 °C.

IN next year it is planned to hold a large-scale event, participation in which is considered elite, not to mention victory. We are talking about the Games (popularly called the 2016 Summer Olympics). The most anticipated event of summer 2016 will take place from August 5 to 16. There is already official information about where they will take place. A city in sunny Brazil was chosen as the venue. It should be noted that this is the first precedent in the history of the Olympics when it will be held in South America. At the very least, this fact makes the Summer Games a unique event.

More than enough time was allocated for submitting applications for participation. This complex and extremely labor-intensive process began back in 2007 (namely on May 16) and ended in September of the same year. Why so long ago, you ask? The answer is simple: organizing the Olympic Games is a very responsible undertaking that requires significant financial costs. Several large cities popular among tourists submitted their bids to host the Olympics. Namely, Baku (Azerbaijan), Spanish Madrid, the city of gangsters - Chicago (USA), Doha (Qatar), Tokyo (Japan), ancient Prague (Czech Republic), the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, as well as St. Petersburg. But since Russian Federation was elected as organizer Winter Games, then her application was automatically withdrawn.

Venue selection

Before finally deciding in which city the event would be held, we had to go through almost all the circles of waking hell. It all started on June 4, 2008, when four favorites were determined. The lucky ones were Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Chicago and Madrid. The final vote for the location of the 2016 Olympics was taken in Denmark (Copenhagen) on October 2, 2009.

The voting process followed all the rules of this important procedure, namely by conducting three rounds. In the first round the results were distributed in the following way: Rio de Janeiro received 26 goals, Madrid - 28, Tokyo - 22, Chicago - 18. In the second round, the picture changed somewhat. Rio de Janeiro won first place with 46 votes, leaving Madrid and Tokyo behind. Chicago received no support. In the decisive round, Madrid received second place, and Rio de Janeiro received the palm branch. The Brazilians were incredibly happy, as they had been working towards this for a long time. After all, Rio de Janeiro sent an application to host the games four times (in 1936, 1940, 2004 and 2012). But he was never among the finalists who took part in the decisive vote.

Not without difficulties. The Rio Olympics are under threat. In the winter of 2014, the IOC expressed serious concern that the construction of facilities where the Summer Olympics would be held was not included in the set schedule. And there was a significant threat that they would not be put into operation within the specified period. Therefore, already in May, the IOC began holding consultations on moving the Olympics to another location. Three options were considered: London, Glasgow and, oddly enough, Moscow. A little later, it was decided that the final verdict would be made after the end of the world football championship. Taking into account the fact that the world community was against postponing the Olympics, the IOC confirmed the information that the venue for the next Olympic Games would be Rio de Janeiro.

Objects of the 2016 Olympics

6 heavenly corners of the city of exotic Brazil were chosen to host the Games. The main object is Maracana. Why the main one? Yes, because this is where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held, as well as football matches. The João Havelange Olympic Stadium was built especially for the Games. Competitions in artistic gymnastics, trampolining and basketball games will be held on Olympic arena Rio. Volleyball competitions will be held in a paradise - on the beaches of Copacabana and Maracanazinho. Archery competitions will be held at the Sambadrome.

Much attention has traditionally been paid to the logo of the 2016 Olympics. It shows the fusion of mountains, sun and sea in the form of an elegant winding line and dancing men. The color scheme was chosen based on the national colors of Brazil: the symbol is made in blue, yellow and green. It is worth noting that the choice was not easy. Approximately 150 possible options were presented to the judges.

Talismans for good luck

Also Special attention was focused on the Olympic mascots. Traditionally, names for them were chosen by local residents, who expressed their will by voting online. As a result, the mascots received their own names: Vinicius and Tom. They got their names in honor of famous Brazilian musicians. The mascots look like representatives of the flora and fauna of Brazil (details have not yet been disclosed). What is known is that the image of the Brazilian fauna is represented by a joyful yellow animal, somewhat similar to a cat, and the flora is represented by a large plant with yellow and green leaves on its head. The plan is for these mascots to become characters in a television show.

Financial issue

Also, the approximate cost was announced not long ago. Summer Games 2016. The total budget was $17 billion. And this takes into account the fact that half of the objects still need approval. That is, the figure will increase significantly. Only 11 billion was spent on improving infrastructure. According to competent individuals, the cost of games has increased due to inflation. It is worth noting that 60% of the costs were borne by Brazil, and the rest by private business.

RIO DE JANEIRO, August 5 - R-Sport, Anatoly Samokhvalov. The opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics will be held at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro with a modern spirit and without pomp.

All the nuances of the event are kept secret until the last moment, so that most of the program’s actions become a surprise for almost 80 thousand viewers and a huge television audience. main feature(from among those disclosed) is the absence of pomp. Many are interested in how the organizers will try to cause tremors in the public, which is traditionally achieved through special effects on the themes of overcoming and triumph of willpower coupled with national character.

Talking Ceremony

Event producer Marko Balic said the show was organized taking into account the difficult financial situation in Brazil, and its estimate was almost half the $42 million spent on a similar event in London in 2012.

“There won’t be the grandeur of Beijing, the huge special effects of Athens and the technological innovations of London,” Balic surprised, noting that “it will be a simple ceremony,” but immediately tried to brighten up the situation: “But very modern.”

"Even without special effects, it will talk to people about the future. It will not be a demonstration of how good it is to live in Brazil," he added, noting the current situation of the Olympics, when athletes and journalists try to be vigilant against the backdrop of stories related to revelry domestic banditry.

"It will be a beautiful Brazilian Olympic sports ceremony“- the director of the Olympic organizing committee for communications, Mario Andrada, briefly but comprehensively described the opening. And Abel Gomez, one of Balich’s three Brazilian creative specialists, outlined the three components of the ceremony’s mission, reflecting the essence of Brazil - nature, diversity, joy. “This is the message of Brazil to the world,” said another member of Balic’s staff, Fernando Meirelles. “If there were grand ceremonies in Beijing and London, then ours will be simply cool!”

Balic, by the way, organized the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, and also acted as executive and artistic producer of the closing ceremony of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Paralympic Games of the same year.

At the end of the ceremony the main cup will be lit olympic flame, and the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach will declare the XXXI Summer Olympic Games open. The 75-year-old king of football received an offer to act as the last torchbearer. The legend himself announced that he received such an offer from Bach and the head of the 2016 Olympics organizing committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman. However, Pele may be prevented from lighting the fire by certain contractual obligations. Brazilian top model Gisele Bündchen should also play an important role in the opening of the Games.

Kosovo je...no Brasil

The parade of Games participants will be the longest event. This time around 12 thousand athletes from record number states - 207, including South Sudan and the unrecognized Republic of Kosovo by Russia. Russian team, despite the exclusion of a significant part of the country’s national team from the Olympics, will appear as one of the most impressive delegations.

The 2012 Olympic champion in volleyball, silver medalist of the 2000 Games in Sydney, two-time bronze medalist (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008) Sergei Tetyukhin was unanimously elected as the standard bearer of the Russian national team at a meeting of captains. "Tetyukhin is one of the most respected Russian athletes, this great choice", said the President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Alexander Zhukov.

The refugee team will march under the Olympic flag

The flag of one of the Russians' main competitors - the US team - will be carried by 18-time Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps, for whom "this time we are talking about much more than medals." The refugee team, approved by the IOC and consisting of ten athletes, will also take part in the parade of athletes. At the ceremony, this team will follow the Olympic flag in front of the team of the host of the Games, Brazil.

"Of course, we want to represent our countries, but now we represent the biggest flag, the flag of all the countries in the world that have refugees. We will represent all the refugees here, and we want to set an example that you need to continue to follow your dreams, no matter what obstacles,” said Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini, who left her native Syria because of the war and moved to Germany.

The opening of the Olympic Games is also associated with increased security measures. At least, this is what the Brazilian authorities assure. The country's Minister of Justice, Alexander de Moraes, noted that the involvement of the army in maintaining order and preventing terrorist attacks will allow the freed-up federal police forces to be used in other important areas.

The ceremony will begin on August 5 at 19:55 local time (August 6 at 01:55 Moscow time) and will last about three hours. Live