Now that the Rio Olympics are over …
August 22, 2016, 8:58 pm

Brazilians bid farewell to the Games as the torch leaves Rio for Tokyo in 2020 [Xinhua]

Rio 2016 set new records, broke existing ones and saw sports like rugby sevens and golf make a much-awaited comeback.

The number of participating national Olympic committees rose to 205, with Kosovo and South Sudan making an appearance for the first time.

The games also featured the world’s first Refugee Olympic Team, composed of 10 individuals who have fled war-torn homelands.

Twenty-seven new Olympic records were set by athletes competing in archery, weightlifting, track-cycling, and swimming.

The games also boasted 350,000 viewing hours, a significant rise from under 200,000 during the London games in 2012.

Just under four billion people are believed to have engaged with the games through some media channel, while an estimated 350,000,000 tuned in for the opening ceremony.

US reigns

The US brought home the largest number of medals at 46 gold, 37 silver and 38 bronze, followed by England, China, Russia and Germany respectively.

Swimmer Michael Phelps gave Team USA a silver medal and five gold, making him the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time.

Leading up to the global sporting event, Forbes estimated that the Rio games had cost Brazil approximately $11 billion, with a projected revenue of only $9 billion. However, recent figures by the organizers appear to show that Brazil broke even.

There was much media apprehension about crime rates in the South American nation, and fears seemed to become reality when American swimmers Ryan Lochte and three other teammates claimed they were robbed.

But just as their claims were beginning to appear false and fabricated, scandal hit once again as five members of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) were barred from leaving Brazil and put under investigation for allegedly selling tickets illegally.

And what will the host nation think now that the games are over?

They might have fiscal and political scandals to keep them occupied, but we’re guessing they’ll ride the wave of euphoria from Brazil’s historic and unprecedented football gold medal.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies