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test events in the build-up to the Games1STOlympic Games in South America2833 competition venues in 4 zones lt io11292 (approximately)tickets on salesince golfwas last on the Olympic programme161men’s eventswomen’s events136mixed events9 since rugby was last on the Olympic programme io melsserved during the Games11 19spo ts d ys10,5007.5+45 years years 306 Medal Eventsof competitionFa ts and gur Park, the Olympic BMX Centre and Olympic Whitewater Stadium will together form the X-Park, with the latter two venues remaining after the Games to form an action sports complex that will be used by both high-performance athletes and the general public.The four Olympic venue clusters will be linked by expressways, railways, subway lines and by a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system with dedicated lanes. The BRT system – which won the Transport Strategy category of the International Union of Public Transport (UITP) Awards earlier this year – has already played a pivotal role in transforming Rio de Janeiro’s transport system. The first of the new dedicated lanes, the Transoeste, is up and running and connects Barra da Tijuca – home of the Olympic Village – with Santa Cruz and Campo Grande along a 52km route that extends to neighbourhoods in the far west of the city, which have to date suffered from inadequate public transport infrastructure. By next year, the Transoeste will also link up with the new fourth line of the city’s metro system that is being built on the edge of Barra, with 63 stations punctuating a 58km route. The system currently serves 150,000 passengers a day.One of the other new BRT lines, the Transcarioca, which is also already in operation, runs through Rio’s suburbs between Barra da Tijuca and the Tom Jobim International Airport, linking 47 stations along a 39km route that transports 320,000 passengers a day. The Transolímpico BRT will link Deodoro, the other hub for the Games, to Recreio dos Bandeirantes, passing through Barra on a 26km route. The Transolímpico will increase access to high-capacity public transport for Rio’s population from 19 per cent in 2009 to 63 per cent in 2016.Inspired by the Olympic Games, Rio de ‘THE WORLD WILL TALK ABOUT RIO DE JANEIRO BEFORE THE OLYMPIC GAMES AND A MUCH BETTER RIO DE JANEIRO AFTER THE OLYMPIC GAMES’ IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH
