The Olympic games are fast approaching! As the biggest sporting event in the entire world, billions of people will tune in to watch their home country compete in Brazil. Whether you’re lucky enough to be able to go see the games live starting on August 5th or you’ll be watching them from the comfort of your own home, the Olympics are sure to come up a lot in conversation. When it does why not have a few key facts about the Olympics in your arsenal?

Let’s take a look at a few key facts about the 2016 Olympics to get you excited for what’s to come!

2016 Rio Olympics

10 Facts You Need to Know About the 2016 Olympics

  1. The 2016 Olympics will run from August 5th to the 21st in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  2. The Olympic mascot is coined the Vinicius, which is a mix of Brazilian animals
  3. The motto of the Olympics is “Viva sua paixao”, which means “Live your passion” in Portuguese
  4. You’ll see two new events at this years Olympics–rugby sevens and golf
  5. There will be four clusters of venues–Maracana, Deodoro, Copacabana, Barra
  6. Rio isn’t the only city to host Olympic games, as Brasilia, Salvador, Sao Paulo, Manaus and Belo Horizonte will all host soccer matches.
  7. South America has never held the Olympic games before
  8. The Paralympic Games will run from September 7th to the 18th
  9. There are 7.5 million tickets being sold for the Olympic games, starting at just 20 Brazilian Real.
  10. At the same time, there will be a cultural festival called Cerebra, which will promote art and culture in Brazil