With the opening ceremonies of the 2016 Olympic Games scheduled for August 5th of that year, the ever-shortening time frame was brought even more to the forefront with the delivery of the Olympic rings to host city Rio de Janeiro.
The rings, donated by Britain, are the same as were used during the 2012 London Olympics and were introduced via a ceremony this week, complete with lights and fireworks, to set the mood and generate even more excitement in the host city. The Chairman of the Coordination Commission of the International Olympic Committee, Nawal el Moutawakel, the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, and the President of Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, all attended the event on May 20th, which inaugurated the rings in Madureira Park.
Transporting the hoops was no small understanding, as the aluminum structure weighs about four tons, and measures 25m long by 12m high and took 20 days for Brazil’s Navy to deliver safely. (rio2016.com)
Said Nuzman of the rings’ arrival, “The rings are the largest representation of the Olympic movement and are among the most recognizable images in the world, immediately associated with the Games. It will be a great opportunity and encouragement to the Rio de Janeiro to get even more in the mood of the memorable Games that will take place in 2016.”
In addition to the Sports Center Miecimo da Silva and the Maritime Front, Madureira Park, the third largest in Rio with 93,000 square meters, will be an area of the city in which fans can view track and field competitions for free via screens
