By Anton Constantinou
The Rio Olympics kicks off today, with over 10,000 athletes from 207 countries set to battle it out for bronze, silver and gold medals in 28 different sports. Over the next month, 33 venues in Rio, and a further five in neighbouring cities São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Brasilia and Manaus, will play host to a variety of competitions from around the world.
It’s the first time that the games have been held in South America, and Rio is expected to receive 380,000 visitors. Thousands of construction workers have reportedly put in 12 hour shifts in the lead up to ensure the city is in tip top shape.
Leading from the front this year are the USA, currently ranked number 1 in the world for the most gold medals at a single Summer Olympics. Not far behind them at 4/1 - according to betting odds from 888sport - are China, with Great Britain coming in third on 33/1.
Athletes to watch include, champion sprinter Usain Bolt – who’s looking to become the first man to bag three successive 100m Olympic titles; world leading decathlete, Ashton Eaton; 19 year old pool sensation Katie Ledecky – who previously won gold at the London 2012 Olympics; and the man Beijing gymnast fans are calling Superman, Kōhei Uchimura.
But with over 300 separate events set to place throughout the course of games, keeping on top of all the action can prove difficult. To help you keep track, we’ve pulled a together this handy wall chart (below) with details of some of the major events taking place.
