Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and American swimmer Michael Phelps aim to cement their status as Olympic icons when the Rio Games finally get underway today amid turmoil on various fronts.
The first Games in South America takes place against the backdrop of a major political and economic crisis in the host country of Brazil, fears of the Zika virus and a major doping scandal surrounding sports superpower Russia.
A low-key opening ceremony is to start the action for some 10,500 athletes from 206 countries who will compete for 306 gold medals in venues including the iconic Copacabana Beach and Maracana Stadium but also the polluted Guanabara Bay.
“Rio is ready to deliver history,” organising committee chief Carlos Nuzman defiantly told the Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday as he was peppered with questions from concerned Olympians on various aspects of the delivery of the Games.
IOC president Thomas Bach sprung to Rio’s defence as the German top official oversees his first Summer Games since being elected in 2013.
“We see the reality in this country, the difficulties. We have always been in solidarity with the organising committee and the Brazilians. Now we have to together deliver a great Games in great unity and in great cooperation,” Bach said.
Rio landed the Olympics in a final vote over Madrid in 2009 — with the country an emerging power at the time with a booming economy.
But as the years went by organisers were bogged down by construction delays and corruption allegations amid a collapsing economy which sees Brazil now facing its worst recession since the 1930s — a bad blow for the Games with an overall budget of 12bn dollars, of which roughly 60 per cent came from the private sector.
It also didn’t help that Brazil’s president Dilma Rousseff faces an impeachment trial, with interim president Michel Temer now the man to formally declare the Games open at the Maracana.
But there are hopes the problems will be glossed over by the athletes once the competition starts in earnest tomorrow.
Phelps is already the most successful Olympian of all time with 18 gold medals, two silvers and two bronze, and he came out of retirement to seek more silverware at his fifth Games, including a fourth straight 100-metre butterfly gold.
Phelps, who is also the American flag bearer today, dismissed suggestions his final big event could end up in failure because “I’m having fun again. I’m enjoying what I’m doing again.”
Jamaica’s Bolt meanwhile has already made history with back-to-back Olympic sprint trebles 2008 and 2012 but will continue working on his legendary status when he takes to the track for the 100m, 200m and 4x100m, despite a recent hamstring injury setback.
Bolt is even more determined after American rival Justin Gatlin highlighted he only made it to Rio via a medical exemption because he missed the Jamaican trials.
“They will feel my full wrath as always,” Bolt vowed.
Gatlin can compete despite serving doping suspensions in the past but that does not apply to a host of Russians with a doping history — as part of an IOC ruling after widespread and state-sponsored doping in
Russia was exposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency last month.
The IOC refrained from a blanket ban — like the athletics body IAAF did apply on Russia — and rather set strict criteria for Russian athletes to compete in Rio.
More than 250 of them are now set to compete but the team misses, among others, pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva.
Also absent from the Games are Swiss tennis star Roger Federer (injury) and a host of golf stars including the world’s top four of Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy.
Several golf stars cited the Zika virus as the reason to stay at home but organizers and the World Health Organization insist the risk of a mass outbreak of the virus spread by mosquitoes is low in the current Brazilian winter.
Golf returns to the Olympics and rugby seven makes its debut at the Rio Games which are safeguarded by some 85,000 security forces.
Around half a million visitors are expected to get a taste of the sport and of the Brazilian lifestyle, similar to the 2014 football World Cup which was a big success after major fears in the run-up.
IOC co-ordination committee chair Nawal el Moutawakel is convinced that the 16 days will be “a celebration of sports and of life in a away only Cariocas (Rio locals) can do.”

Big name flag bearers to look for at the opening ceremony
Michael Phelps (USA) -
The 31-year-old American swimmer has won a record 22 Olympic medals, including a record 18 gold medals as well as two silvers and two bronzes. He is about to participate in his fifth Olympics, the first in 2000 at Sydney at age 15, the youngest man on a US swim team in 68 years. At Beijing in 2008, Phelps won eight gold medals to set a record for the most titles won in a single Olympics. He added four golds and two silvers in 2012 at London.
Andy Murray (GBR) - The 29-year-old Scotsman will try to become the first Olympic men’s singles champion to defend the title. He defeated Roger Federer in the 2012 London Olympic final on the same Wimbledon court where he lost the Grand Slam event to this Swiss star four weeks before. Murray went on to win the US Open the following month for his first major title. He also won the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon crowns. Murray took silver in Olympic mixed doubles at London with Laura Robson.
Rafael Nadal (ESP) - The 30-year-old left-hander is a 14-time Grand Slam champion and took Olympic singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Games. He has also led Spain to four Davis Cup titles and he became the youngest Open Era player to complete the career Grand Slam when he won the 2010 US Open at age 24. The claycourt master has won a record nine French Opens on the red clay at Roland Garros.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) - The 29-year-old from Kingston is the two-time defending champion in the women’s 100 metres. She also took silver medals in 2012 in the 200 and on the women’s 4x100m relay. She is a three-time 100m world champion and 4x100 relay and won the 200 world title in 2013 at Moscow.
Luis Scola (ARG) - The 36-year-old power forward for the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets was a member of Argentina’s 2004 Olympic gold medal men’s basketball team. He also helped his homeland capture bronze at Beijing in 2008. He was a Spanish league star at Tau Ceramica before joining the NBA in 2007 with the Houston Rockets. He has also played for the Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors and has averaged 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds a game over nine NBA seasons.