Discover the long-term benefits of the Olympic Games that serve the host city, its people, and the Olympic Movement before, during and long after the Olympic Games.

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Rio 2016 Legacy

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16. Nomadic venues

Rio 2016 Legacy - https://olympics.com/ioc/legacy/living-legacy/rio-2016

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Despite facing challenges as the first Olympic Games held in South America, Rio 2016 created lasting benefits for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the Brazilian people.

1. Overview

Rio 2016: Shaping urban renewal and social progress in challenging times

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The main swimming pool from the Olympic Aquatics Stadium at Rio 2016 has reopened for community use in Rio’s West Zone, following its relocation to Parque Oeste Ana Gonzaga, a new local park in the area. Rio 2016 was designed to help accelerate Rio’s transformation through a community-focused legacy. In the years following the Games, governance challenges slowed aspects of delivery, and images of abandoned venues circulated online during that period. Legacy projects have continued to be implemented over the years, and this reopening completes the reuse plan for the Games’ temporary pools, bringing the Rio 2016 competition facility into public use.

Rio 2016 legacy plan completed as Olympic Aquatics Stadium pool opens for community use

The Rio Olympic Museum officially opened its doors on 3 August - the ninth anniversary of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Located on the second floor of the velodrome at the heart of Olympic Park, the museum offers a dynamic and interactive journey through the first Olympic Games ever held in South America – celebrating the city’s transformation, memorable sporting moments and the lasting legacy.

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New Rio Olympic Museum celebrates Rio 2016 Games and their legacy 

The BMX cycling track that hosted competitions at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 has been opened to the public after a full renovation. Upholding its legacy commitments, despite governance issues during the years after the Games, the city continues to benefit from the long-term positive effects of Rio 2016.

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City of Rio reopens Olympic BMX cycling track to the public and professional athletes 

The new permanent Olympic Golf Course transitioned quickly to post-Games use and now hosts both high-performance and grassroots golf, as well as playing an important environmental role.

18. Olympic Golf course

Olympic Golf Course

The majority of Deodoro Sports Complex, located in a military area, was handed over to the administration of the Brazilian Army after the Games. Radical Park, comprising the Olympic Canoe Slalom Stadium and the BMX track, was placed under public administration.

17. Deodoro X Park

Deodoro Park

Rio Olympic Park, the junction point between many of the former Olympic sports arenas, has been transformed and inaugurated as the new Rita Lee Park, named in honour of Brazil’s influential “Queen of Rock”.

Nomadic venues 

New permanent venues Carioca 1, 2 and 3, the Olympic Tennis Centre and the existing Rio Olympic Arena have been available for public use since the end of the Games.

15. Public use venues

Public-use venues

The Barra Olympic Park’s transition to post-Games use encountered political and financial setbacks.

14. Olympic Park

Olympic Park 

Ninety-three percent of the 28 permanent venues used at Rio 2016 remain in use. They host competitions and training sites for athletes, professional teams and local clubs, and provide residents with opportunities to engage in recreational sports. Some also stage concerts and other major cultural events.

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Rio 2016: Olympic venues overview

Ahead of the Olympic Games Rio 2016, the federal government created the Brazilian Authority for Doping Control (ABCD) in 2011.

12. Fight against doping

Fight against doping 

The Youth School Games have grown rapidly from their creation in 2005 and have seen the participation of more than 2 million students from 40,000 schools in nearly 4,000 Brazilian cities.

11. Youth Games Expansion

Youth School Games expansion 

Brazilian and international athletes now have access to the Team Brazil Training Centre, a high-performance venue with state-of-the-art equipment which opened at the Olympic Park in 2010.

10.1. The Team Brazil Training Centre

The Team Brazil Training Centre: A high-performance facility for athletes

Through the Sustainable Supply Chain Programme, the Rio 2016 Organising Committee created an environmentally and socially responsible model for procuring products and services which became a point of reference for events and private companies in Brazil.

9. Sustainable supply chain

Sustainable supply chain

Two major projects that were accelerated due to Rio’s hosting of the Games have significantly improved the city’s sewage and waste treatment.

8. Waste management and sanitation

Waste management and sanitation

Upgrades to Rio de Janeiro’s public transport system were accelerated by the city’s hosting of the Olympic Games. Improvements to the transport network have significantly reduced commute times and more than doubled the number of daily trips taken on high-capacity transport.

7. Acceleration of public transport development

Acceleration of public transport development

Rio’s hosting of the Olympic Games triggered the redevelopment of Porto Maravilha, a five million square metre port area which had suffered decades of degradation.

6. Regeneration of Porto Maravilha

Regeneration of Porto Maravilha

The awarding of the 2016 Games to Rio de Janeiro accelerated several public policies and private projects that resulted in significant improvements for the city and its people. Access to basic services, unemployment rates, incomes and other issues relating to the city’s quality of life were improved, according to several studies on the economic and social impact of the Games.

5. Rio's social score in the lead-up to the Olympic Games

Rio’s “social score” in the lead-up to the Olympic Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s commitment to using the Olympic Games as a symbol of hope and inclusiveness for refugees took centre stage at Rio 2016, as a Refugee Olympic Team participated in the Olympic Games for the first time.

4. Refugee Olympic Team takes the stage

Refugee Olympic Team takes the stage

Two initiatives implemented for the Olympic Games Rio 2016, Sebrae on the Podium and the Olympic City Technical Programme, have empowered underprivileged individuals and small businesses after playing important roles before, during and following the Games.

3. Business initiatives to empower individuals and small entreprises

Business initiatives to empower individuals and small enterprises

The Olympic Games Rio 2016 education programme, Transforma, benefitted more than eight million students in almost 16,000 schools throughout Brazil between 2013 and 2016 and has continued to impact children and educators through two post-Games programmes.

2. Transforming education through sport

Transforming education through sport

Legacies

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The Olympic Games are all about their legacies. The benefits that the Games create – from increased sports participation and educational programmes to a boosted economy and an improved urban environment – are numerous.

Rio 2016 Legacy

Rio 2016: Shaping urban renewal and social progress in challenging times

Legacies

More information