Sport is at the heart of many activities in Rio de Janeiro, the city has established itself as a centre for hosting a range of significant sporting events, from the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup to the 2016 Olympics.
Sport is a daily way of life for many Cariocas, whether that is a game of volleyball on Copacabana Beach after work or watching one of the five football clubs based in the city, including Flamengo – the club thought to have the largest number of followers in Brazil.
Rio has a long history of hosting a range of sporting tournaments and the infrastructure and legacy of this can be seen across the city today.
The Maracanã Stadium, one of the world's largest football stadia, was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup, and is now undergoing major renovations to relive its destiny and host the final match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
In a country known as "o País do Futebol" (the country of football), which has produced over 10,000 professional players,
football is a national obsession - during World Cup matches many banks shut down three hours before matches to allow their employees to prepare for the game.
Rio has also played host to a number of major sporting events, such as the 2007 Pan American Games, which were centred on Copacabana Beach, and left the city a broad range of stadia and facilities.
This helped to boost support for its successful bid for the 2016 Olympics, which will be the first time the Olympics has been held in South America and in a lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country.
Events will be based in four areas: Copacabana Beach, Maracanã, Deodoro and Barra da Tijuca.
Improvements in city-wide infrastructure, such as transportation and public amenities, as well as the income generated by visitors to the city will have a lasting effect on the communities of Rio de Janeiro as well as the thousands of athletes taking part in the Games.