2016 제31회 리우데자네이루 올림픽, Rio 2016 Olympic

[Conqueror]

■2016 제31회 리우데자네이루 올림픽

Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic GamesBy Kiratiana Freelon 28/06/2016 14H20

Attending the first edition of the world's greatest sporting event in South America is still possible

Rio de Janeiro is not known as the ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’ for nothing (Getty Images/Matthew Stockman)

Tracy Allison Frank and her father started a special tradition in 2000 – attending every Summer and Winter Olympic Games. For Tracy, the Games are an opportunity to travel and meet people from all over the world, and for her father, it’s an opportunity to collect Olympic pins. 

“The Olympics hold a special place in my heart,” said Tracy. “It brings out a youthfulness in my dad that nothing else does.”

This 16-year tradition has only been broken twice, in 2004 (Athens) and 2014 (Sochi). Not wanting to miss two Olympic Games in row, Tracy and her father made an impulse decision last Wednesday to attend the Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The Torch design

The Olympic flame is an important symbol of the Games, representing peace, unity and friendship. The torch is used to pass the flame from one bearer to another during the relay, until the lighting of the cauldron at the opening ceremony.

Among the main innovative aspects of the Rio 2016 torch is the opening segments, revealing characteristics of Brazilian flair: harmonious diversity, contagious energy and exuberant nature.

History

It all started 3,000 years ago. In Ancient Greece, the Greeks considered fire a divine element and kept flames lit in front of their main temples, like the sanctuary of Olympia, stage of the ancient Olympic Games. To assure its purity, the flames were lit via a “skapinha” – a type of concave mirror that converges the rays of the sun onto a specific point.

Maintaining tradition, this ritual is still staged today. Between 90-100 days before each edition of the Games, the Olympic flame is lit in the ruins of the temple of Hera in the Greek city of Olympia. The original scene is recreated for the ceremony, with women characterised as “priestesses” to light the flame.

Once lit, the flame is carried via a torch in a vast relay, until the host city of the Games. Along the route, a series of celebrations announce the arrival of the event. The relay finishes with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony.

□대회기간: 개막식이 열리는 2016년 8월 5일을 시작으로, 8월 21일 폐막식까지 총 17일간의 리우올림픽 공식일정이 진행

□Venues

The battle for Olympic medals will take place in 32 venues in Rio de Janeiro, plus five football co-host cities: Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Manaus, Salvador and São Paulo.

□ STADIUM  & ETC

/ 다목적위성 3A호가 올해 6월2일 촬영한 브라질 리우올림픽경기장의 모습. [미래창조과학부(한국항공우주연구원) 제공]

Paralympic Torch

The Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic torches were created together, as the result of a unique conceptual platform of Passion and Transformation – the essence of the Rio 2016 brands.