Rio Olympics 2016: The 31st Olympiad has begun as the opening ceremony started with dancers rocking the stage amid loud cheers and fabulous music at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Over 10,000 athletes from 206 nations and refugee teams have already arrived in Brazil to show their skills in 28 sports categories. India has sent its largest ever team of 119 athletes this year. The event has been in the news for non-related matters like facilities extended to players, Russia’s doping scandal and Zika virus.
The games, which is being held for the first time in any South American nation, will carry on till August 21. Billions of people are eager to watch the opening ceremony performed and participated by 5,000 volunteers and 300 dancers dressed in around 12,000 costumes. Reports suggest that Brazilian models Gisele Bundchen and Briton Dame Judi Dench will perform before the parade begins. The opening ceremony began at 0430 hrs IST officially. As all the countries will take out the parade in alphabetical order, the Indian contingent may take out their parade at around 0600 hrs IST. While the archery team will skip the opening ceremony due to their competition schedule, other athletes are expected to attend the event. With largest ever team in the Olympics, India is expecting to improve its prior medal tally record of six from the London Olympics held in 2012.
Here are the Rio Olympics 2016 Opening Ceremony updates:
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The opening ceremony saw rich history and cultural heritage of Brazil in combination with famous
‘Samba’ dance. Abhinav Bindra, the sole gold medalist in Olympics, was the Indian flag bearer and led the contingent of around 70 athletes and 24 officials.