Rio 2016 sets records on the field of play and online - Olympic News

Rio 2016 sets records on the field of play and online

The Olympic Games Rio 2016 delivered many remarkable and inspiring athletic achievements that were witnessed and shared by a vast global audience through record-breaking media coverage and unprecedented levels of digital engagement. The Games will also leave a great legacy for the host city.

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Rio 2016 sets records on the field of play and online
© 2016 Getty Images

Here are some facts and figures from the Games of the XXXI Olympiad:

The Athletes

  • Athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees, as well as the Refugee Olympic Team
  • Two National Olympic Committees participating for the first time (Kosovo and South Sudan)
  • Golf returned to the Olympic Games after 112-year absence
  • Rugby returns to the Games in a new format, rugby sevens
  • 11,303 athletes, more than 45 per cent women
  • Medals won by athletes from 87 countries
  • Three NOCs won their first medal, all gold (Fiji, Jordan and Kosovo)
  • Six NOCs won their first gold medal (Bahrain, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Vietnam, Tajikistan and Cote d’Ivoire)
  • US swimmer Michael Phelps, ending his Olympic swimming career with his 23rd medal and is the most decorated Olympian in history
  • Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt ended his remarkable Olympic career with three more gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay
  • Brazilian judoka Rafaela Silva inspired a nation with her rise from the City of God favela to gold medal-winner, Brazil’s first gold of Rio 2016
  • The Refugee Olympic Team sent a message of inclusion and hope for refugees around the world
  • 487 competitors from Youth Olympic Games
    • 65 Olympic medals, including 15 gold
  • 830 individual competitors, 171 NOCs and the Refugee Olympic Team helped by Olympic Solidarity
    • 93 individual medals (13 gold); 8 team medals (4 gold)

Olympic Visitors

  • More than 6 million tickets sold, 92 per cent of total available
  • Daily Games visitors peaked at more than 490,000

Protecting Clean Athletes

  • More than 5,000 doping tests in the most comprehensive doping detection process in the history of the Olympic Games
    • More out-of-competition and intelligence-based testing than ever before
    • Intensive pre-Games targeting effort to detect cheats before they arrived
    • Samples kept for 10 years for possible retesting

Media Coverage

  • More media coverage than ever before, with record numbers for TV and digital broadcast hours
    • Nearly 350,000 total hours, up from fewer than 200,000 hours for London 2012
    • More than 500 TV channels, more than 250 digital platforms
    • More digital coverage than ever, nearly double TV and 2.5 times more than London 2012 (218,000 hours versus 81,500 hours)
    • NBC exceeded 2.5 billion live streaming minutes, over 1 billion more than all previous Olympic Games combined
    • We anticipate half the world’s population will watch at least some coverage of the Games
    • More than 90 per cent of the Brazilian television audience watched at least some coverage of the Games
  • OBS innovations expand and enhance viewer experience
    • Virtual Reality available for the first time
    • More than 9 million hours of content streamed on Olympic Video Player, with as many as 1 million daily unique viewers for live streaming and on-demand video
    • 8K Super High Vision offered for the first time, providing 16 times the resolution of High Definition

IOC’s Digital Audience

  • Record global engagement on the IOC’s website, Olympic.org
    • Over 26 million visits to the site, more than double compared to London 2012
    • Record engagement through mobile platforms, with 70 per cent of website visits on mobile phones or tablets
  • Record social media engagement
    • Interacting with a vast global audience in nine languages on seven social platforms
    • More than 4 billion social media impressions (a metric for the number of times IOC posts have been viewed)
    • 14.6 million Facebook fans, nearly double since London 2012
    • 360-degree photos and live streaming connect fans with athletes in new, more engaging ways

The Rio 2016 Legacy

  • New world-class sports venues for use by elite and grassroots athletes
    • Golf venue to become Rio de Janeiro’s first public golf course
    • Canoe slalom venue to become public swimming pool for low-income neighbourhood
    • Six venues in the Olympic Park to form the nucleus of Brazil’s first Olympic Training Centre; will also serve athletes from other South American countries
  • New transportation links
    • Population with access to high quality public transportation up from 18 per cent to 63 per cent since 2009
    • New Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines
    • New Metro Line 4
    • Expanded light rail network
  • New educational infrastructure
    • State-of-the-art anti-doping laboratory to become research lab for Rio de Janeiro Federal University
    • Handball venues to be converted into four schools
    • Carioca 3 Arena to be converted to Olympic Experimental School to support Olympic Training Centre
    • Transforma programme reached over 6 million students in Brazil and beyond
  • Economic development
    • Revitalisation of historic Porto Maravilha (Marvellous Port) area
    • Tourism industry will benefit from new hotels and new convention opportunities
    • A study by Brazil’s Getulio Vargas Foundation (Fundação Getulio Vargas) found that per capita income in Rio de Janeiro has increased by just over 30 per cent since the city was awarded the Games in 2009, greater and more equitable economic growth than any other city in Brazil

Support from Worldwide TOP Partners

  • The Worldwide TOP Partners supported the Games through funding for the organisers of Rio 2016 and every National Olympic Committee, as well as providing products, technology and services to support the staging of the Games, and helped bring the Olympic Games to life with popular showcasing venues on the Olympic Park and around Rio de Janeiro, and through promotional campaigns around the world.
  • The Worldwide TOP Partners have supported local community, sustainability and infrastructure development projects throughout Rio de Janeiro. Some examples:
    • Coca-Cola’s Coletivo programme employed disadvantaged young people, giving them valuable work experience in hospitality and venue operations
    • Atos supported the IT infrastructure for Rio 2016’s volunteer programme
    • Bridgestone supported Rio 2016’s Transforma education project
    • Dow is implementing energy-efficient and low-carbon technologies and projects across major sectors of the Brazilian economy to reduce carbon emissions and deliver climate benefits beyond the Games
    • GE has executed over 170 infrastructure projects in the Olympic Park and in Rio de Janeiro, including improved lighting in the city’s largest public park
    • McDonald’s enabled children from around the world to participate in the Opening Ceremony
    • Omega supported local social projects through its VivaRio project
    • Panasonic has helped share the passion of the Games through its state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment
    • P&G supported women and girls’ participation in sport through an international promotional campaign entitled #likeagirl and partnered with the IOC and UN Women on projects in Rio de Janeiro
    • Samsung provided limited-edition Galaxy S7 Edge phones to athletes competing at Rio 2016
    • Visa supported 60 athletes as part of its Team Visa programme, including members of the Refugee Olympic Team, and launched a financial literacy education programme in conjunction with the IOC’s Athlete Career Programme