The opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics took place at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, formally inaugurating the Games. The ceremony combined the Olympic Charter’s formal protocols—such as the parade of athletes and official speeches—with a large-scale artistic presentation focused on Brazilian culture and history. Rio 2016 was significant historically as the first Summer Olympics held in South America, placing Brazil at the center of a major global sporting event. The opening ceremony drew an enormous worldwide audience and remains a widely referenced moment in Brazil’s modern sports and cultural history.
