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Games of the XXXI Olympiad: Rio de Janeiro 2016

Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics

Last modified: 2024-05-28 by zachary harden
Keywords: olympic games | ioc | cio | rio de janeiro |
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[Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics]
image by Zoltan Horvath, 29 January 2014

See also: Other sites:

Overview

Rio De Janeiro has been selected to host the summer Olympic Games in 2016. This will be the first time the Olympics take place in South America. Games are scheduled to be held from August 5 to 21, 2016, making these the second Summer Olympics to be held during the host city's winter. The bidding process was officially launched in 2007, and four candidate cities were chosen for the shortlist in 2008: Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo. Finally the IOC members voted on Rio De Janeiro during 121st IOC Session, in October 2009 held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 2016 Summer Olympic program features 28 sports and a total of 41 disciplines and 306 events.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Summer_Olympics
Zoltan Horvath, 28 January 2014

The Flag

The Rio 2016 logo was designed by Tatíl Design, a Brazilian company, and unveiled on December 31, 2010. The logo represents three figures, in the yellow, green and blue of the Brazilian flag, joined at the arms and in a triple embrace, with the overall shape reflecting that of Sugarloaf Mountain. The logo was based on four concepts: contagious energy, harmonious diversity, exuberant nature and Olympic spirit.
See more: http://www.rio2016.org/en/the-games/olympic/emblem.
Zoltan Horvath, 28 January 2014

Flag of the Refugee Nation

[Flag of the Refugee Nation Used at the 2016 Summer Olympics]
image by Pete Loeser, 17 March 2021

This flag of a non-existent Refugee Nation was designed by the artist Yara Said, a Syrian refugee who found asylum in Amsterdam. He was one of the million refugee families who fled war, violence and persecution in search of safety. Another refugee, Moutaz Arian, created a national anthem for the 10 person Refugee Olympic Team that were allowed to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Although neither the Refugee Nation Flag or anthem could be allowed by the International Olympic Committee for the use by the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics (because, they reasoned, there was no such actual nation), some of their supporters used the flag unofficially in the stands. Officially, the refugee team competed under the Olympic flag. The orange and black flag was inspired by the life vests many had to wear in their search for a safer land to live in. For some the flag has become a symbol of hope and solidarity for all those without a nation to call their own. According to The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) it is estimated that there are about 70 million refugees and internationally displaced homeless people in the world today. Sources: NAVA March Vexibits and Refugee Nation website
Pete Loeser, 17 March 2021

I suspect that it's no coincidence that it looks very similar to the flag of a group of high-profile refugees, the Chagos Islanders.
James Dignan, 18 March 2021

Golf pin flag

[Candidate city flag]
image located by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 25 July 2021
Source: https://www.ebay.nl/itm/114881013341

Candidate cities

Chicago

[Candidate city flag]
image located by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 4 October 2009
Source: http://www.boxercreative.co.uk/soakitup/?p=2572

Designed by VSA Partners, this is Chicago’s second logo for its 2016 bid. The first (which featured an olympic torch with flames resembling Chicago’s skyline) violated Olympic rules which prohibit the use of the Olympic symbol, motto, flag, flame, torch, or medal. With the slogan "Let friendship shine," the new logo uses a six-pointed Chicago star representing a compass pointing out in all directions of the world.
http://www.boxercreative.co.uk/soakitup/?p=2572

At http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/83956350 we can see the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid flag flying beside the S&S of the US and the Illinois state flag.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 January 2009

Madrid

[Candidate city flag]
image located by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 4 October 2009
Source: http://www.boxercreative.co.uk/soakitup/?p=2572

Designed by 26-year-old Argentine Joaquín Malle, the logo was one of 2,700 submissions in a contest chosen by a public vote. Named "Corle," the logo features a hand in the Olympic colors—which intends to represent unity among different cultures, people, and nationalities—along with silhouette of an ‘M’. The city’s bid slogan is "Hola everyone."
http://www.boxercreative.co.uk/soakitup/?p=2572

[Candidate city flag]
image by Eugene Ipavec, 15 May 2012

Flag of the (unsuccessful) 2016 Olympic bid by the city of Madrid. The photo was taken in a hotel in Beijing during the Games there. It existed in several subsidiary versions, including a vertical one, a square one, and one with "CANDIDATE CITY" in English.
Eugene Ipavec, 15 May 2012

Rio de Janeiro

[Candidate city flag]
image located by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 4 October 2009
Source: http://www.boxercreative.co.uk/soakitup/?p=2572

Designed by Ana Soter and selected by a special jury, the logo uses a stylized Sugarloaf Mountain in the shape of a heart to represent Brazil’s passion and enthusiasm for sports. With the slogan, "Live your passion," Rio’s logo also features an exclamation point replacing the ‘1’ in ‘20!6’ symbolizing the excitement of the games.
http://www.boxercreative.co.uk/soakitup/?p=2572

Rio adopted a logo during its bidding process as well, and it was also used on flags:
Image of Candidate City flag: http://i.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/ap091002026887rio__oPt.jpg
Zoltan Horvath, 28 January 2014

On 23 June 2008, the Rio de Janeiro 2016 candidate city flag was officially raised for the first time. A photograph of such a flag can be seen here.
In that version, the text [for people with sharp eyes an/or a zoom function] is "CIDADE CANDIDATE". Apparently there were both Portuguese language and English language candidate city flags.
The applicant city logo looks to have been the same, but of course without the Olympic Rings.
The official site includes this document, where an illustration shows people with wavers that show a logo without rings. I would assume that this is a applicant city flag, but neither my eyes nor the zoom function of my viewer can tell me what the text on the wavers says.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 30 January 2014

It seems they also used both versions of flags, Portugese and English as well.
Zoltan Horvath, 30 January 2014

Tokyo

[Candidate city flag]
image located by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 4 October 2009
Source: https://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat21/sub142/item780.html

Using the slogan "Uniting our worlds," the logo ties the five Olympic colors in the form of a traditional Japanese knot. The knot, known as ‘musubi,’ (knot in Japanese) has long been utilized in Japan to signify blessings during times of celebration. Tokyo’s logo was created by acclaimed designer Kenji Ekuan of GK Design Group.
http://www.boxercreative.co.uk/soakitup/?p=2572