A video of how the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro looked in January 2015 and how it will look when the games open in August 2016.
Category Archives: Rio de Janeiro
Where do you locate Rio’s Olympic flame in 2016?
Rio de Janeiro is going to have to decide where to put the Olympic cauldron and the Olympic flame, and this is on the list of points for Rio 2016 to discuss with the IOC.
The problem is that the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2016 Olympics will take place in the Maracanã while most of the track and field will take place in the Engenhão. The Maracanã only hosting a couple of the football games.
In the opinion of Rio the Guide and Brazil the Guide the best and most spectacular solution will be to locate the Olympic flame at the feet of the Christ the Redeemer statue on the summit of Corcovado.
The result would be the first Olympics when most of the host city and its visitors could easily see the Olympic flame at all times during the tournament. That would include the yachtsmen and women in the bay, the rowers on the Lagoa, the cyclists as they cross through Flamengo Park, the archery and marathon at the sambodromo, and so on.
No you won’t be able to see the flame at Corcovado from the Olympic Village in Barra, but neither would you see an Olympic cauldron tucked away in the Maracanã or Engenhão.
We really hope that Rio 2016 will have the courage to think out of the box and play to Rio’s strengths as there will be few host cities, if any, that will have a mountain in the centre of it to use with such an iconic global landmark.
And talking of iconic, we all remember the iconic shot that went viral at the end of the 2014 World Cup!
Rock in Rio 2015 takes shape
Queen, the stars of the first ever Rock in Rio in 1985 (photo), and Metallica are the latest acts to be added to the line-up for Rock in Rio 2015. Metallica last played Rock in Rio in 2013.
Queen and Metallica join other acts announced that include Katy Perry, who also performed in 2013, John Legend, A-Ha (that attracted a crowd of 198,000 in 1991 when the festival was staged at the Maracãna), System of a Down, Queens of the Stone Age (who played in 2001), Slipnot (who played in 2011), Faith No More (who played in 1991), and Hollywood Vampires, the new super group made up of Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Joe Perry.
The festival takes place between 18 and 27 September 2015 close to where the Olympic Village is being built. Prior to that, in May, Rock in Rio will be staged for the first time in Las Vegas.
Happy 450th Birthday Rio!
On 1 March 2015 the city of Rio de Janeiro celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding. The date relates to the first time the Portuguese really made an effort to set up a colony in Rio after driving out the French.
The Portuguese Government had first ordered the Governor General of Brazil, Mem de Sá, then resident in Bahia, to expel the French colony in 1560. His fleet entered the harbour of Rio on 21 February 1560, and in just two days he had taken control of the settlement. His job done, Mem de Sá returned to Bahia but without taking the precaution of establishing his own garrison. With Mem de Sá’s departure, the French returned, this time to set up camp on the mainland close to what is today Catete.
It would not be until 1565 that the Portuguese returned to Rio under the command of the Governor General’s nephew, Estácio de Sá, who landed on 1 March of that year (the date of the 450th anniversary) just west of Sugar Loaf. A bitter two-year struggle then ensued with the French defeated by the arrival of Mem de Sá himself on 18 January 1567. Two days later, on 20 January, Estácio de Sá was mortally wounded by an Indian arrow while in combat with the French settlers and their native allies. With the death of his nephew, Mem de Sá moved the site of the new town to Morro do Castelo, an area in front of what is today Santos Dumont Airport.
For a full history of Rio de Janeiro CLICK HERE
Beija-Flor wins carnival 2015
Beija-Flor (the humming bird) is the champion samba school of Rio’s 2015 carnival with a samba that was based on the historic links between Equatorial Guinea and Brazil. It was one of three schools to choose Brazil’s relationship with Africa as its theme. Viradouro, which also chose Africa, came last and was relegated.
It is Beija-Flor’s 13th carnival title, the first since 2011.
Salgueiro was runner up with a theme that looked at the tastes and customs of the neighbouring state of Minas Gerais, while in third came Grande Rio who had as its theme cards.
Grande Rio tied on points with Portela, which looked at 450 years of Rio surreal, and last year’s champion, Unidos da Tijuca, that had a theme based around Switzerland and one of the great characters of carnival, Clovis Bornay.
In a closely fought contest the full results were:
- Beija-Flor (269.9 points out of 270)
- Salgueiro (269.5)
- Grande Rio (269.0)
- Portela (269.0)
- Unidos da Tijuca (269.0)
- Imperatriz Leopoldinense (268.9)
- Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel (268.5)
- São Clemente (268.4)
- União da Ilha do Governador (267.2)
- Mangueira (267.1)
- Unidos de Vila Isabel (266.2)
- Viradouro (263.7)
Athletics timetable for Rio 2016 is published
The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) has released the athletics’ timetable for the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 and it features finals during the morning sessions of the athletics programme.
“Staging finals in the morning was done at the request of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee and the Olympic Broadcasting Service, supported by the International Olympic Committee,” said IAAF competitions director Paul Hardy. “Having finals in the morning will also ensure that we receive maximum visibility for athletics at the Olympic Games across all time zones.”
There is at least one final in all of the morning sessions. All five road events – the two marathons and the three race walk events – will be held in the morning sessions, although both 20km race walks will be in the early afternoon. Other morning finals include the women’s 10,000m, men’s and women’s 3000m steeplechase, men’s 400m hurdles, men’s triple jump, men’s and women’s discus, and the women’s hammer.
For the full calendar – as of 15 December 2014 – click on the photo below, then click again to enlarge the size of the image…
2016 Olympic and Paralympic mascots unveiled in Rio
The Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games mascots have been unveiled. Inspired by Brazil’s fauna and flora, the duo feature various pop culture influences, along with elements of animation and computer game characters.
“The Rio 2016 mascots represent the diversity of our culture, of our people,” said Beth Lula, the Rio 2016 brand director. “They represent our joy, our way of being. Both of them are magical creatures with super powers and relate naturally with the young audience, who we want to engage with our event so much.”
The Olympic mascot represents all of the different animals in Brazil. He combines the agility of cats, the sway of monkeys and the grace of birds. He can stretch his arms and legs as much as he wants. The Paralympic mascot is a fusion of plants found in Brazilian forests. He is energised by photosynthesis and can pull any object from his head of leaves. He is always growing and overcoming obstacles.
Both mascots have their own Facebook and Twitter profiles and share a special website with fun activities for kids.
“The mascots are one of the most important symbols of the Games because they create an emotional link with the public, especially children, and are genuine ambassadors for the event,” added Lula.
What is not known yet, is their names. A poll is already open and the public can vote for their choice from a shortlist of three pairs of names: one for the Olympic mascot, the other for the Paralympic mascot, respectively. The choices are Oba and Eba, Tiba Tuque and Esquindim, and Vinicius and Tom. You can find out more about these names, and vote for your choice by Clicking Here The winning names will be announced on 14 December 2014.
The mascots were created by Birdo Produções, a São Paulo-based design and animation company that has won numerous international awards.
Rio the Guide: All the answers for a trip to Rio de Janeiro
Our sister site, Rio: The Guide, is now up-and-running and when finished will give a complete guide to the city for any visitor. It will even be of help to the residents of the city and is based on “The Insider’s Guide to Rio de Janeiro”, a book that for many years was the city’s top selling guide book.
As well as information about visiting the city, the news feed and Twitter feeds include up-to-date breaking news and developments from the city, including about the Olympic and Paralympic games, as well as carnaval.
It is still a work in progress but we hope you find it useful and look forward to your feedback. Close to 300,000 people visited this site and World Cup: The Guide during the FIFA World Cup and we hope the Rio site will prove to be as popular.
So far the Rio site includes
Welcome to Rio de Janeiro
Overview of Rio
Getting to-and-from Rio
– Facts to Know Before You Arrive
– Arriving in Rio
– Leaving Rio
Rio-at-a-Glance
Getting Around in Rio
Hotels
– Hotels by area
– Hostels / B&B / Camping
Corcovado
Sugar Loaf
Sights To See
– Museums & Galleries
Beaches
Carnaval
– The Parade
– Carnaval 2015
New Year
Football
– Maracanã
2016 Olympics and Paralympics
– 2016 Olympic Prices
– 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Venues
– 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Logos
Shopping
Typically Carioca
Safety in Rio
History of Rio
– A walking tour of historic Centro
Brazil
Facts
Latest News
Brazil’s 50 top restaurants
To mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Brazil Guide in the Guia Quadro Rodas series, the publisher, Abril, has come up with a list of what it considers to be the 50 top restaurants in Brazil for 2015.
Nearly half, or 24 in total, are located in São Paulo, and eight are in Rio, but the list does cover the country from north to south.
1 – D.O.M. / São Paulo – SP
Rua Barão de Capanema, 549 – Cerqueira César
(11) 3088-0761
2 – MANÍ / São Paulo – SP
Rua Joaquim Antunes, 210 – Jardim Paulistano
(11) 3085-4148
3 – FASANO / São Paulo – SP
Rua Vitório Fasano, 88 – Cerqueira César
(11) 3062-4000
4 – ROBERTA SUDBRACK / Rio de Janeiro – RJ
Avenida Lineu de Paula Machado, 916 – Jardim Botânico
(21) 3874-0139
5 - DUE CUOCHI CUCINA ITAIM / São Paulo – SP
Rua Manuel Guedes, 93 – Itaim Bibi
(11) 3078-8092
6 – TRE BICCHIERI / São Paulo – SP
Rua General Mena Barreto, 765 – Itaim Bibi
(11) 3885-4004
7 – MAHALO / Cuiabá – MT
Rua Pres. Castello Branco, 359 – Quilombo
(65) 3028-7700
8 – FASANO AL MARE / Rio de Janeiro – RJ
Avenida Vieira Souto, 80 – Ipanema
(21) 3202-4030
9 – FLORIANO SPIESS COZINHA DE AUTOR / Porto Alegre – RS
Praça do Japão, 155 – Bela Vista
(51) 3237-7601
10 – EPICE / São Paulo – SP
Rua Haddock Lobo, 1002 – Cerqueira César
(11) 3062-0866
11 – SKYE / São Paulo – SP
Avenida Brigadeiro Luís Antônio, 4700 – Jardim Paulista
(11) 3055-4702
12 – A BELA SINTRA / São Paulo – SP
Rua Bela Cintra, 2325 – Jardim Paulista
(11) 3891-1090
13 – ORO / Rio de Janeiro – RJ
Rua Frei Leandro, 20 – Jardim Botânico
(21) 2266-7591
14 – OLYMPE / Rio de Janeiro – RJ
Rua Custódio Serrão, 62 – Jardim Botânico
(21) 2539-4542
15 – TRATTORIA / São Paulo – SP
Rua Iguatemi, s/n – Itaim Bibi
(11) 3167-3322
16 – DUE CUOCHI CUCINA SHOPPING CIDADE JARDIM / São Paulo – SP
Shopping Cidade Jardim – Avenida Magalhães de Castro, 12000 – Cidade Jardim
(11) 3758-2731
17 – DUE CUOCHI CUCINA MORUMBI / São Paulo – SP
Morumbi Corporate – Henri Dunant, 1383, – Sto. Amaro
(11) 3957-9580
18 – GERO / São Paulo – SP
Rua Haddock Lobo, 1629 – Cerqueira César
(11) 3064-0005
19 – AMADEUS / São Paulo – SP
Rua Haddock Lobo, 807 – Cerqueira César
(11) 3061-2859
20 – ATTIMO / São Paulo – SP
Rua Diogo Jácome, 341 – Vila Nova Conceição
(11) 5054-9999
21 – LE BATEAU IVRE / Porto Alegre – RS
Rua Tito Lívio Zambecari, 805 – Mont Serrat
(51) 3330-7351
22 – KINOSHITA / São Paulo – SP
Rua Jacques Félix, 405 – Vila Nova Conceição
(11) 3849-6940
23 – JUN SAKAMOTO / São Paulo – SP
Rua Lisboa, 55 – Pinheiros
(11) 3088-6019
24 – VECCHIO TORINO / São Paulo – SP
Rua Tavares Cabral, 119 – Pinheiros
(11) 3816-0592
25 – VECCHIO SOGNO / Belo Horizonte – MG
Rua Martim de Carvalho, 75 – Santo Agostinho
(31) 3292-5251
26 – ICI BISTRÔ / São Paulo – SP
Rua Pará, 36 – Higienópolis
(11) 3259-6896
27 – GIRARROSTO / São Paulo – SP
Avenida Cidade Jardim, 56 – Jardim Europa
(11) 3062-6000
28 – DONA IRENE / Teresópolis – RJ
Rua Ten. Luís Meireles, 1800 – Bom Retiro
(21) 2742-2901
29 – PARIGI / São Paulo – SP
Rua Amauri, 275 – Itaim Bibi
(11) 3167-1575
30 – ANTIQUARIUS / Rio de Janeiro – RJ
Rua Aristides Espínola, 19 – Leblon
(21) 2294-1049
31 – MOCOTÓ / São Paulo – SP
Avenida Nossa Senhora do Loreto, 1100 – Vila Medeiros
(11) 2951-3056
32 – GUARAMARE / Guarapari – ES
Avenida Meaípe, 716 – Enseada Azul) – 7 km
(27) 3272-1300
33 – REMANSO DO BOSQUE / Belém – PA
Avenida Rômulo Maiorana, 2350 – Marco
(91) 3347-2829
34 – ANGATU / Tiradentes – MG
Rua Santíssima Trindade, 81 – Santíssima Trindade
(32) 3355-1391
35 – FLOR DE SAL BISTRÔ / Ribeirão Preto – SP
Rua Floriano Peixoto, 1463 – Boulevard
(16) 3421-4963
36 – DALÍ CAMÕES / Brasília – DF
Setor Hoteleiro Sul, Qd. 6, Bl. B (Hotel Brasil 21 Convention)
(61) 3039-8156
37 – PROVENCE COTTAGE & BISTRÔ / Monte Verde – MG
Rua Cedrus Libani, 384 – Centro
(35) 3438-1467
38 – ESQUINA MOCOTÓ / São Paulo – SP
Avenida Nossa Senhora do Loreto, 1108 – Vila Medeiros
(11) 2949-7049
39 – TRINDADE / Belo Horizonte – MG
Rua Alvarenga Peixoto, 388 – Lourdes
(31) 2512-4479
40 – SUR / Maceió – AL
Rua Professora Maria Esther da Costa Barros, 306 – Stella Maris
(82) 9808-9090
41 – LASAI / Rio de Janeiro – RJ
Rua Conde de Irajá, 191 – Botafogo
(21) 3449-1834
42 – WIELLA BISTRÔ / Recife – PE
Shopping da Decoração – Avenida Engenheiro Domingos Ferreira, 1274, – Boa Viagem
(81) 3463-3108
43 – KITANDA BRASIL / Tiradentes – MG
Rua Padroeiro Santo Antônio, 240 – Cascalho
(32) 3355-1560
44 – TAYPÁ / Brasília – DF
Setor de Habitações Individuais Sul, Quadra 17, Shopping Fashion Park – Lago Sul
(61) 3248-0403
45 – IRAJÁ / Rio de Janeiro – RJ
Rua Comandante de Irajá, 109 – Botafogo
(21) 2246-1395
46 – LE PRÉ-CATELAN / Rio de Janeiro – RJ
Avenida Atlântica, 4240, Nível E – Copacabana
(21) 2525-1160
47 – GLOUTON / Belo Horizonte – MG
Rua Bárbara Heliodora, 59 – Lourdes
(31) 3292-4237
48 – ARTURITO / São Paulo – SP
Rua Artur de Azevedo, 542 – Pinheiros
(11) 3063-4951
49 – PONTE NOVA / Recife – PE
Rua do Cupim, 172 – Graças
(81) 3327-7226
50 – CHEF VIVI / São Paulo – SP
Rua Girassol, 833 – Vila Madalena
(11) 3031-0079
More athletes book their spot in Rio for 2016
In recent weeks the USA women’s basketball team has booked its place at the Rio Olympics alongside the USA men’s team. Both won their respective world championships.
Also through are the Colombia women’s football team who qualified by coming second to Brazil in the Copa America. The women’s football tournament at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be contested by 12 teams. In addition to Brazil and Colombia, there will be three European teams, two from Africa, two from Asia, two from North and Central America and one from Oceania. Places will be allocated according to the results of continental qualifying competitions.
The first two hockey teams have also won their places at the Rio Olympic Games, with India’s men and the Republic of Korea’s women confirming their berths by winning the gold medals at the recent Asian Games, in Incheon, the Republic of Korea.
The men’s and women’s hockey tournaments will each feature 12 teams. Five berths in each gender will be obtained through continental tournaments, such as the Asian Games, while six will be won through the 2014/2015 Hockey World League. The 12th spots are reserved for Brazil if the host nation’s teams achieve performance criteria set by the International Hockey Federation.
Five more countries have confirmed their places in the shooting competition following the world championships when 27 nations booked their spots. The Shooting Championship of the Americas, held in Guadalajara, México, has confirmed a further 11 places. Cuba claimed the largest number of berths by winning five events, while the USA took three spots. The Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Ecuador won one place each.
China was top of the shots at 51st International Shooting Sport Federation World Championship in September 2014, winning nine berths for the first Olympic Games in South America. Germany, the Republic of Korea, Italy and Russia each claimed five spots, while France and Slovakia secured three places.
The other nations to win places at Rio 2016 were Australia, Belarus, Spain, USA, Great Britain, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine and Vietnam (two each), Bulgaria, Chinese Taipei, People’s Democratic Republic of Korea, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Slovenia, Hungary, India, Czech Republic and Turkey.
Sailing has delivered the largest bulk of Rio 2016 Olympic Games qualifiers yet, as 138 places – more than half of the sport’s total for the event – were won at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander, Spain.
New Zealand, Great Britain and France finished as the top-performing nations, all claiming berths in each of the 10 Olympic classes. A total of 39 countries won places in Brazil.
The other 36 nations that won Rio 2016 places were: Denmark (7), the Netherlands (7), Italy (7), Australia (6), Spain (5), the USA (5), Russia (5), Sweden (5), Austria (4), China (4), Croatia (4), Finland (4), Norway (4), Germany (3), Ireland (3), Japan (3), Poland (3), Portugal (2), Lithuania (2), Israel (2), Argentina (2), Cyprus (2), Belgium (2), Canada (2), Slovenia (2), Greece (2), Switzerland (2), Belarus, Estonia, Guatemala, Hungary, the Virgin Islands, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Singapore and Tunisia.
In total, 274 boats will compete in Guanabara Bay at the Olympic Games. In addition to the 138 that qualified in Santander, a further 47 will win their places at the 2015 world championships and 75 at continental qualifiers held in 2015 and 2016. Brazil will be allocated 10 places and the remaining four spots will be by invitation by the International Sailing Federation.
Brazil the Guide 