For those of you who don’t keep up with Rio de Janeiro Olympics news, the official dates are August 5-21, with the Opening Ceremony on the 5th and the Closing Ceremony on the 21st. Soccer matches are scheduled on the 3rd and 4th, before the Opening Ceremony.
According to the Rio Olympics’ website, over 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries are expected to compete in this year’s Olympics. Six athletes on the USA team are from Arkansas. Isabella and Margaux Isaksen from Fayetteville are competing in the Modern Pentathlon, Kyle Clemons of Jonesboro is competing in the 4×400-meter track and field event, Lexi Weeks from Cabot is in the pole vault event, Jeff Henderson of McAlmont is doing the long jump and Michael Tinsley from Little Rock is participating in the 400-meter hurdles.
I’m unsure as to how far these Olympians will be able to go, but I wish them the best.
Two sports are being added to the Olympics: golf and rugby sevens. The Olympic Golf Course is a 18-hole facility built for this event. The Deodoro Stadium, a temporary field that is built around an existing polo field, will host the rugby sevens matches.
Rugby sevens is a shorter version of regular rugby. Instead of 15 players with 40-minute halves, there are only seven players with 70-minute halves. According to the Olympic Rugby website, the last time rugby was played in the Olympics was in the 1924 Paris Olympics.
I’m glad that they are bringing rugby back to the Olympics, but I am thankful that it is not the 80-minute match version. It might save us some time to watch other sports.
The Olympics, while primarily in Rio, will be spread across five cities in Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Brasília and Manaus. The later four cities will host soccer matches.
The World Health Organization is worried about the spread of Zika to other parts of the world, but Brazilian authorities say the Zika cases during this year’s Olympics should stay in the single-digits, according to The Telegraph. Health workers are inspecting the Olympic venues constantly to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites.
Another problem with this year’s Olympics is the amount of pollution in Guanabara Bay off the coast of Rio. Not only is there floating trash and debris, there are large amounts of raw sewage being dumped into the bay.
This is a major problem for athletes competing in events that take place in Guanabara Bay. According to CNN, athletes have been told to avoid swimming in the bay and to avoid getting water in their mouths.
Overall, the Rio de Janeiro Olympics are looking bleak.
image via newswire.net
