Rio de Janerio is host to the Summer Olympics 2016. Ever since she has been honored with the title, Rio has been decking up in preparation for the prestigious event. The logo is ready, so are the mascots and the schedule for the events are on the Rio Olympics official website as well. So if you wish to be a part of this great experience, hurry up! Tickets are on sale as well.

The opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics will begin at 20:00 (BRT) sharp on the 5^th of August. The formal ceremony includes, welcoming speeches, hosting flags and athletic parades along with the lighting of the flame. The authorities and organizers, have apparently, tried to make the ceremony as much of a novelty as possible though the details are not made public yet. However, the carnival has been confirmed as an integral part of the opening ceremony. The Maracana stadium is the host for the opening ceremony. The closing ceremony too shall be hosted in the Maracana stadium at 20:00 (BRT) on the 21^st of August. The formal event includes, closing speech, hosting of flag, parade of nations and extinguishing the flame, as we eagerly await the next season.

In Rio, Barra da Tijuca will house most of the venues in 2016. The rest will be located in the three other zones of Copacabana Beach, Maracana and Deodoro. Barra da Tijuca is also supposed to be the Olympic Village. The Olympic Village is an accommodation center built to house the athletes, athletic trainers and the officials of the participating nations. The event calendar is out, complete with the venue and dates, so if you are planning to enjoy the most prestigious Game there is, here’s a trailer: archery starts from the 6^th continues to 12^th. Athletics start as late as the 12^th and continues till the 21^st. Badminton is on the 12^th and 13^th. The various cycling events are throughout 6^th-21^st. Apart from that, water polo, fencing, table tennis, volleyball and wrestling events are also there spread across the calendar. The authorities have released an entire schedule for access to the enthusiasts. The program includes 28 sports from a total of 41 disciplines and 306 events. 186 national Olympic Committees have sent qualified athletes.  Kuwait was banned after government interfered in the country’s Olympic committee. Also there will be a team of Refugee Olympic Athletes who are allowed to participate raising awareness about European migrant crisis.

Every year, we wait for a great many fresh players who make their mark through their excellent performance. However, there are many who shall be retiring post the Rio2016. Among them are, Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt who intends to retire in 2017. Serena Williams, with 19 grand slam titles. Robert Scheidt(41), the Brazilian, with two gold medals, two silver and one bronze medal in sailing shall retire after the Rio Olympics. Tamika Catchings of the USA women’s basketball team with 3 Olympic medals. Yelena Isinbaeva, the Russian pole vaulter and winner at Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) intends to get back on the podium in 2016, after she finished third in London.