South China Morning Post
The 2016 Rio Olympic Games opened with a grand ceremony at the Maracana Stadium, emphasizing global unity amidst Brazil's economic and political challenges. The event also saw the first gold medal of the games awarded to American shooter Virginia Thrasher in the women's 10m air rifle.
Why it matters
The Olympics serve as a major cultural and geopolitical touchstone, often highlighting the contrast between international sporting spectacle and local socio-economic realities.
This article was first published on August 7, 2016.
Rio Olympics off with a bang in rifle event
by Nazvi Careem
Against a backdrop of economic and political turmoil in Brazil, the 2016 Olympic Games opened in Rio Janeiro yesterday with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach appealing for unity in a troubled world.
Watched by an estimated global audience of close to three billion, Rio organisers produced a stunning spectacle at fabled Maracana Stadium that attacked senses right from the start with digital imagery previously unseen on such a grand scale.
It may have paled in comparison to the outrageous sums spent on Beijing’s opening ceremony in 2008 (US$100 million) and London (US$41.5 million) in 2012, but Brazil knows how to party – if you were invited.
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