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With the opening ceremonies set to dazzle audiences and highlight Brazilian culture on Friday evening, final preparations for the 2016 Summer Olympics are being made across Rio de Janeiro. While new sporting venues undergo finishing touches, the long-standing Maracanã Stadium readies to host another world-class event. Named after the now canalized Maracanã River and opened in 1950, it is the largest stadium in Brazil and the second largest in South America by capacity.
The Maracanã Stadium will stage both the opening and closing ceremonies and the decisive matches of the men's and women's football tournaments. Since hosting the 1950 World Cup, the stadium has served as the venue for major Rio football clubs. It has received a series of substantial renovations over its lifespan. Following its 50th anniversary in 2000, the stadium's overall capacity was increased to about 103,000 when it reopened in 2007.
In advance of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics and Paralympics, the venue underwent a major reconstruction project that began in 2010. The original two-tiered seating bowl was demolished and replaced with a single-tier system. The concrete roof, which only provided protection to some seats in the upper ring, was swapped with a fibreglass tensioned membrane that now covers more than 95 percent of the seating. The new pixelated pattern of yellow, blue, and white seats form the colours of the Brazilian flag when combined with the green field.
This sports temple — already well known by football fans for being the site of Pelé's 1,000th career goal — has hosted bulging crowds of approximately 200,000. Its age and sheer size have allowed it to host some of the most notable events and matches while attaining legendary status among football fans. Now, the fully refurbished 78,000-seat stadium will be introduced to an audience outside of the football world as it gears up to welcome international athletes to its hallowed grounds.
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