Review: Rio Olympic Venues

Maracanã Stadium

Event: Opening and Closing Ceremonies
Location: Maracanã
The centerpiece of the Olympic Games, has hosted the Opening Ceremony before it was transitioning to host the semifinal and final matches of the men’s and women’s football competition. The venue was modernized prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Olympics Aquatics Stadium - Swimming

Event: Swimming
Location: Barra Olympic Park
One of the Games’ temporary venues, the Olympics Aquatics Stadium has two pools — one for warming up, one for competition — that will be used for swimming and water polo competitions. The building will be dismantled after the Games conclude. The venue provided plenty of great camera positions for a series of events that captured the attention of fans everywhere. The personalities are global superstars, and the technology used to capture the events delivered stunning images from a wide variety of interesting and often wet angles.

Olympics Aquatics Stadium - Water Polo

Event: Water Polo
Location: Barra Olympic Park
The first Olympic team sport, water polo has been in the Games since Paris 1900, when it was a men-only competition – women joined at Sydney 2000. Physical, fast-paced and with lots of goals, it’s a thrilling spectacle.Two teams of seven players face each other in the pool with the objective of throwing the ball into the opposition's goal – the team that scores the most goals wins.
 

Olympic Stadium - Athletics

Event: Athletics
Location: Maracanã
The Olympic Stadium, also located in Maracanã, was constructed in 2007, when Brazil hosted the Pan American Games. Rio’s Olympic organizers have temporarily expanded seating capacity to accommodate crowds for athletics and football competition. The second week of the Rio Olympics had shifted much of the focus out to the Olympic Stadium, home of the athletics (aka track and field events). There were plenty of different types of events that required plenty of different approaches to camera placement and operations. 33 cameras were in use to cover the integrated track, 14 cameras for high jump, 12 cameras for pole vault, 13 cameras for shot put, 14 cameras for discus and hammer and 13 cameras for long and triple jump.

Beach Volleyball Arena

Event: Beach Volleyball
Location: Copacabana
Another temporary structure, the arena sits on the Copacabana Beach and featured a  center competition court, five training courts, and two warm-up courts. Perhaps no other sport is more closely associated with Rio de Janeiro than beach volleyball, which has been in the Olympic Games since Atlanta 1996. The men’s and women’s competitions took place on the famous sands of Copacabana beach.
What’s that? An Olympic venue on Copacabana Beach? Seriously, when the world learned that Rio had won the Olympic games the opportunity to see Olympic Beach Volleyball on the most famous beach in the world suddenly became one of the “must see” events. It’s also one of the more lively Olympic venues with public address announcing befitting a sport known for a laid back intensity: funny, breezy, and informative. And there are plenty of camera angles as well!

Riocentro Pavillion 6 - Boxing

Event: Boxing
Location: Barra (Outside Olympic Park)
The newly constructed Pavilion 6 of the Riocentro facility spans 7,500 sq. meters and hosted the boxing competition. In total, Riocentro housed four Pavilions that were used in Olympic competitions; in addition to boxing, the facility hosted badminton, table tennis, and weightlifting.
Jabs, crosses, uppercuts: a single punch can make all the difference in boxing. The sport made its Olympic debut at the 1904 St Louis Games, and women entered the fray at London 2012. At Rio 2016, there are 13 categories, 10 for men and three for women. The pictures here are from Riocentro Pavilion 6, where the fights were held. There was also 360 VR content coverage during the bantam and lightweight prelims. Cameras include two RF handhelds, one high-speed super-slo-mo handheld, five hard cameras, one robotic, and two robotic cameras in the warm-up area.

Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre - Diving

Event: Diving
Location: Barra Olympic Park
The Aquatics Center harks back to the 2007 Pan Am Games and has been renovated. In addition to hosting diving, it housed the water polo group stages and synchronized swimming competition. When diving made its Olympic debut at St Louis 1904, athletes aimed for the longest jump. Now their spectacular aerial acrobatics are judged to the minutest detail. In Rio, men and women competed in four events, individually or in duos, from 10m and 3m.

Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre - Synchronized Swimming

Event: Synchronized Swimming
Location: Barra Olympic Park
An aquatic ballet, synchronised swimming has been delighting Olympic audiences with its grace and rhythm since Los Angeles 1984. It’s a women-only discipline with duet and team competitions. Essentially pool-based gymnastics, teams of swimmers perform choreographed moves on and under the water to a musical soundtrack, with judges giving scores based on a wide range of criteria

Equestrian Centre - Dressage

Event: Dressage
Location: Deodoro
The only Olympic sport in which men and women compete against each other, equestrian has three disciplines: eventing, dressage, and jumping — each with both individual and team competitors. The camera coverage included 16 cameras, five of which are super-slo-mo–capable. Built for the 2007 Pan American Games, the Olympic Equestrian Centre was modernised and expanded for Rio 2016. The one-million-square-metre facility hosts the jumping and dressage arena, cross-country course and horse and trainer accommodation.

Olympic Golf Course

Event: Golf
Location: Barra (Outside Olympic Park)
Golf retureds to the Olympics in 2016, and the inaugural competition took place on a course built specifically for the Games. The 18-hole facility, part of an environmental recovery project, is now open to the public. The Olympic Games now have its first male and woman golf champions in more than a century.

Rio Olympic Arena - Gymnastics

Event: Gymnastics
Location: Barra Olympic Park
The Rio Olympic Arena was a product of the 2007 Pan Am Games. In addition to artistic gymnastics it hosted rhythmic and trampoline gymnastics events. Balance beam, pommel horse, parallel bars, rings... in artistic gymnastics the athletes compete on different apparatus in individual and team events, eight for men and six for women. This traditional sport has been in the Games since Athens 1896.

Future Arena - Handball

Event: Handball
Location: Barra Olympic Park
Handball is tactical, skillful, and fiercely contested with goals galore. This event was taking place in the FTA Future Arena within Barra Olympic Park, with coverage provided by 17 cameras. Field handball made its Olympic debut at the Berlin 1936 Games, but the sport has been played indoors since Munich 1972. There are men’s and women’s events.

Deodoro Stadium - Rugby

Event: Rugby Sevens
Location: Deodoro
This temporary venue was constructed around an existing polo field and, besides rugby sevens, it hosted equestrian and the modern pentathlon’s combined running and shooting sections. Although the 15-player version of the sport appeared at the Olympic Games between 1900 and 1924, Rio 2016 marks the debut of rugby sevens, a faster, shorter adaptation. Bravery, skill, and speed were in abundance in the men’s and women’s tournaments. Rugby sevens coverage at the Olympics made use of 14 cameras and included members of the Sky New Zealand production team.

Olympic Shooting Centre

Event: Shooting
Location: Deodoro
A supreme test of accuracy, shooting made its Olympic debut at Athens 1896, the first Games of the modern era. In Rio, competitors battled to reach the podium in nine men’s and six women’s events, all individual. Across a variety of firearm classes and positions, competitors must shoot at stationary or moving targets, scoring points for accuracy

Riocentro Pavillion 6 - Table Tennis

Event: Table Tennis
Location: Barra (Outside Olympic Park)
The newly constructed Pavilion 6 of the Riocentro facility spans 7,500 sq. meters and hosted the table tennis competition. In total, Riocentro housed four Pavilions that were used in Olympic competitions; in addition to table tennis, the facility hosted badminton, boxing, and weightlifting.

Riocentro Pavillion 6 - Weightlifting

Event: Weightlifting
Location: Barra (Outside Olympic Park)
The newly constructed Pavilion 6 of the Riocentro facility spans 7,500 sq. meters and hosted the weightlifting competition. In total, Riocentro housed four Pavilions that were used in Olympic competitions; in addition to weightlifting, the facility hosted badminton, table tennis, and boxing.

Riocentro Pavillion 4 - Badminton

Event: Badminton
Location: Barra (Outside Olympic Park)
With shuttlecocks travelling at up to 400 km/h, badminton requires fast reflexes from the players and the audience’s full attention. It has been in the Games since Barcelona 1992. Men and women compete in individual and doubles events, and mixed doubles. A racket sport in which players score points by hitting a shuttlecock over a raised net and on to the floor inside the opponent’s court.

Maracanãzinho Arena - Volleyball

Event: Indoor Volleyball
Location: Maracanã
Although the venue was renovated prior to the 2007 Pan Am Games, Olympic organizers added a temporary court and refreshed a training court to ready the venue for the 2016 Games. Bursting with electrifying rallies, blocks and spikes, volleyball has been thrilling Olympic audiences since Tokyo 1964. In Rio it was held at the famous Maracanãzinho, the spiritual home of the sport in Brazil.

Carioca Arena 1 - Basketball

Event: Basketball
Location: Barra Olympic Park
Carioca Arena was built for the Rio Games and measures more than 38,000 sq. ft. Arena 1 provided the main stage for the Games’ basketball competitions, Arena 2 was used for judo and wrestling, and Arena 3 hosted fencing and tae kwon do. Following the Games, the venue will become part of the Olympic Training Centre, housing facilities for 12 sports.

Carioca Arena 2 - Judo

Event: Judo
Location: Barra Olympic Park
Judo battles took place at Carioca Arena 2 in the Barra Olympic Park. Judo is a dynamic combat sport that demands both physical prowess and great mental discipline. From a standing position, it involves techniques that allow you to lift and throw your opponents onto their backs. On the ground, it includes techniques that allow you to pin your opponents down to the ground, control them, and apply various choke holds or joint locks until submission.  With two matches going on simultaneously there is plenty of camerawork at any one moment. Each match features seven hard cameras, two RF cameras, a jib camera, and there are two additional RF cameras and two robotic beauty cameras.

Carioca Arena 2 - Wrestling

Event: Wrestling
Location: Barra Olympic Park
A fascinating mix of primal hand-to-hand combat and complex tactics, wrestling has been in the Games since Athens 1896. There are two disciplines: freestyle, with six different events for men and women, and Greco-Roman, only for men. Two wrestlers grapple with each other in a defined area, each attempting to manoeuvre their opponent into point-scoring holds and throws, forcing their opponent’s shoulders on to the mat, or a match-winning fall.

Carioca Arena 3 - Taekwondo

Event: Taekwondo
Location: Barra Olympic Park
“The way of the feet and hands” is the meaning of the Korean word taekwondo, a martial art included in the Olympic Games since Sydney 2000. At the Rio 2016 Games, there are four weight classes for men and women. Fighters score points by landing kicks and punches on the torso and head of their opponent – the fighter with the most points wins the bout. Purpose-built for Rio 2016, Carioca Arena 3 hosted taekwondo and fencing competitions, and will become a specialist sports school with capacity for 850 full-time students after the Games.

Lagoa Stadium - Rowing and Flatwater Canoeing

Event: Rowing and Flatwater Canoeing
Location: Copacabana
Prior to the Games, a new finish tower was installed for rowing and canoe sprint events. In one of the city’s most beautiful locales, the stadium offered views of Corcovado Mountain and the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. Rowing, which made its Olympic debut at the Paris 1900 Games, has more than a century of tradition in the waters of Rio de Janeiro. There are eight men’s and six women’s events in boats for one, two, four or nine (including the coxswain) competitors.
Competitors race on flat water in kayaks or canoes in this sport, which made its Olympic debut at the Berlin 1936 Games. Twelve gold medals – eight for men and four for women – are up for grabs on Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas.

Olympic Tennis Centre

Event: Tennis
Location: Barra Olympic Park
Newly constructed for the Games, the Tennis Centre stands at the heart of Rio’s Olympic Park. The venue houses 16 courts, including some temporary courts. According to Olympic organizers, it is one of the Games’ most important and lasting legacies. Point by point, game by game, set by set, tennis is both fiercely contested and delightfully graceful. Men debuted in the Olympic Games at Athens 1896, women at Paris 1900. There are men’s and women’s singles and doubles, plus mixed doubles.

Youth Arena - Modern Pentathlon

Event: Modern Pentathlon
Location: Deodoro
Purpose-built for the Games’ modern pentathlon fencing matches, the venue. A classic contest played out in five acts: fencing, swimming, horse riding, shooting and running – with all the events taking place on the same day. Part of the Olympic Games since Stockholm 1912, modern pentathlon has men’s and women’s competitions.

Youth Arena - Basketball

Event: Women' Basketball
Location: Deodoro
A magnificent spectacle of dribbling, slam-dunks and three-pointers. At Rio 2016, basketball is celebrating 80 years in the Olympic Games – its debut was at Berlin 1936. Twelve teams of each gender will be battling for medals.The Youth Arena emerges from the hustle and bustle of one of Rio's busiest streets, Avenida Brasil. Built for the Games, the facility will stage the modern pentathlon fencing matches, as well as the group stage of the women's basketball tournament.

Fort Copacabana - Road Cycling - Triathlon

Event: Road Cycling
Location: Copacabana
This open-air venue sits at the southern end of Copacabana Beach and providde the road cycling race, marathon swimming, and triathlon competition with a breathtaking starting point.

Event: Triathlons
Location: Copacabana
Since making their Olympic debut at Sydney 2000, triathletes have been pushing themselves to the limit in swimming, cycling and running, with the first to the finish line taking gold. There are men’s and women’s individual events in Copacabana.

Sambódromo - Archery - Marathon

Event: Archery, Marathon
Location: Maracanã
Olympic organizers transitioned this existing venue — traditionally used for Carnival samba-school parades — into the competition venue for archery and the marathon by installing new stands and refurbishing the structure.

Whitewater Stadium - Canoe Stadium

Event: Canoe Slalom
Location: Deodoro
According to Olympic organizers, this venue is among the most complex at the Rio Games. The stadium features a 250-meter competition course and 200-meter training course for canoe slalom competition. Get ready for white-knuckle drama on the whitewater rapids. Inspired by slalom skiing, this sport has been in the Games since Munich 1972. Competitors navigate the course on board kayaks or canoes, in singles or doubles events.

Olympic BMX Centre

Event: Cycling – BMX
Location: Deodoro
Built for the Games and intended for post-Games use, the BMX Centre spans 4,000 sq. meters and features a 400-meter course packed with ramps and sharp turns. The Olympic BMX Centre was built for Rio 2016 and will remain as a post-Games legacy. Occupying approximately 4,000 square metres of the X-Park, it is about 400 metres long, with a series of ramps and sharp turns that will test the best BMX riders.

Marina da Gloria - Sailing

Event: Sailing
Location: Copacabana
Sailing was supposed to make its Olympic debut at Athens 1896, but due to bad weather it was postponed until Paris 1900. Now one of the most celebrated Olympic sports, in Rio there will be five men’s, four women’s and one mixed event on Guanabara Bay. Powered only by the wind, athletes must sail their boats around a course marked out by buoys.

Olympic Hockey Centre

Event: Field Hockey
Location: Barra Olympic Park
With its team ethic, high-octane action and plenty of goals, hockey has been thrilling the Olympic audience since London 1908, with women’s teams joining in at Moscow 1980. In Rio, there are men’s and women’s competitions. The Olympic Hockey Centre was used in the 2007 Pan American Games, and has since been renovated for Rio 2016. The facility has two artificial turf pitches and will become home to the Brazilian national team after the Games. Two teams of 11 players use sticks to control, dribble, pass and shoot a ball – the side that scores the most goals wins.