After four years of painstaking preparation, supported by £274m of strategic investment of National Lottery and Government funding, the Rio 2016 Olympic Games have finally arrived. Ahead of the first events today and the opening ceremony at the Maracana Stadium, UK Sport’s Chief Executive Liz Nicholl shared a good luck message to all those representing Team GB in Brazil who are hoping to make history by delivering the best ever medal haul at an away Games.
“Rio 2016 will be another unique Olympic Games for everyone involved. As the Games come to South America for the first time, there is a high expectation of a vibrant celebration of sporting excellence. I am confident we have a better prepared British team than ever before and the support of the great British public and the National Lottery players will spur them on.
“On behalf of all of us here at UK Sport, I send this heartfelt good luck message to all the talented athletes and their support team as they focus on achieving their lifetime ambitions of delivering record breaking performances.
“Our vision at UK Sport is to inspire the nation through Olympic and Paralympic success, and thanks to the ongoing backing of our Government and National Lottery players, we are confident Team GB can make history once again.
“We know Rio 2016’s inspirational medal moments will live long in the public’s memory and their impact will resonate with the whole nation for years to come - uniting us, inspiring us and making us proud.”
~ Liz Nicholl, Chief Executive of UK Sport
Competition begins today for Team GB with the commencement of the preliminary archery rounds; Patrick Huston will be the first Brit in action at 13:00BST, followed by his teammate Naomi Folkard at 17:00. The Opening Ceremony will begin at midnight tonight and promises to be a colourful display of festivities, which includes 300 dancers, 5,000 volunteers and 12,000 costumes.
You can plan your Games and keep up to date with events in Rio with our online platform #EveryRoadtoRio Live, launching later today. As well as daily reviews and previews, you’ll have access to stats and updates on events in real time, and our in-depth schedule means you won’t miss a Brit!
You can also follow events as they unfold in Rio, day and night, with UK Sports instant updates on Twitter, so make sure you don’t miss a moment by following @UK_Sport.