The Rio Summer Olympic Games, hosted this year in August, was one of the highlighted moments so far in 2016. Here’s a recap of some special moments and a few thoughts about the next games in Tokyo.
Opening Ceremony
Held on Friday, August 5th, the iconic Maracana stadium officially kicked-off the games. Celebrating Brazilian culture and heritage with many celebrities, and featuring acrobatics, dancing, and music. The ceremony also touched over the dangers of climate change showing maps of rising sea levels on many important cities. The Amazon, the world’s biggest rainforest, was showed frequently. The celebration continued with all the athletes receiving a cartridge containing a seedling, to be planted later.
New Sports
Golf, rugby, and kitesurfing were new sports included at Rio. While kitesurfing was making its debut to replace windsurfing, golf was making its appearance for the first time in 112 years. 15-man rugby had originally been an Olympic sport, debuting in Paris in 1900, and then making its last appearance in 1924, coincidentally also in Paris.
USA Women’s Gymnastics Team “Final Five”
The USA Women’s Gymnastics team, nicknamed “The Final Five”, made a big mark in Rio. Winning Team Gold and having at least one athlete medaling in each individual competition, the ladies held high stakes, being the first team to have nine medals from one Olympics since the USSR in 1972. The Final Five members? Simone Biles in her Olympics debut, winning All-Around, and being the first US woman to win gold on vault and teammates Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez.
Two Sports Legends: Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps’ Last Games
Two sports legends, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, announced (before and after competition) that Rio was their last Olympic competition. Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time and Bolt has won consecutive gold medals in his events. Off the pool and track, Phelps and Bolt are also big celebrities.
Medal Counts & New World Records
Many world records and olympic records were broken. Featuring Katie Ledecky’s incredible performance in the 1,500 meter freestyle, to the many other incredible moments, it proved to be a memorable games. The USA topped the combined medal count with a stack of 121 medals, 46 of them being gold. China came in with 70 medals, and Great Britain earned 67.
Looking Forward to Tokyo
The next summer games will be held in Tokyo! New sports that will be debuting are skateboarding, surfing, climbing, and karate, which reflect Japan’s culture and will interest younger audiences. Baseball and Softball are also returning, having last been featured in 2008.