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Rio 2016: Colourful ceremony launches Summer Games

The 2016 Olympic Games were declared open in Rio de Janeiro with 206 nations and one refugee team taking part.

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Fireworks formed part of the opening ceremony at Maracana stadium with the Mangueira 'favela' community in the foreground. [Mario Tama/Getty Images]
Published On 6 Aug 2016

The 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro were officially opened with a flamboyant ceremony celebrating Brazil’s history and cultural diversity, all to the pulsating beat of samba, bossa nova and funk.

The country’s interim President Michel Temer declared open the first Games ever in South America on Friday.

Marathon runner Vanderlei Cordeiro, who was denied victory at the 2004 Athens Games when he was attacked by a spectator, lit the cauldron on Friday.

But in a display of the deep political divisions plaguing Brazil, Temer was jeered by some in the crowd at the famed Maracana football stadium.

Home to the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, Brazil used the ceremony to call on the three billion people watching the opening of the world’s premiere sporting event to take care of the planet, plant seeds and protect the verdant land that Europeans found here five centuries ago.

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Sofia Bekatorou of Greece carried her country's flag during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana Stadium. [Paul Gilham/Getty Images]
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China's contingent was led by Sheng Lei during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. [Paul Gilham/Getty Images]
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The four-hour opening ceremony's tight budget was reportedly about half of the $42m extravaganza at London 2012. [Clive Mason/Getty Images]
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In addition to the 206 nations, there is also a Refugee Olympic Team which was led by Rose Nathike Lokonyen. [Richard Heathcote/Pool/Reuters]
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The Olympic flame was lit by marathon runner Vanderlei Cordeiro at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics. [Gregory Bull/AP]
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The Refugee Olympic Team comprises 10 athletes and Rose Lokonyen Nathike, a 23-year-old South Sudanese runner, was chosen as the flag bearer. [Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA]
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Brazil used the ceremony to call on the viewers to take care of the planet and plant more seeds. [Richard Heathcote/Getty Images]
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United States topped the medals table at London 2012 and its contingent at Rio 2016 was led by swimmer Michael Phelps. [Cameron Spencer/Getty Images]
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Members of a Samba school perform during the opening ceremony. [Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA]
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Team Russia, in the middle of a state-sponsored doping scandal in the lead-up to the Games, avoided a blanket ban. [Michael Sohn/AP]
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The 2016 Olympic Games will go on until August 21 and will be followed by the Paralympic Games from September 7. [Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters]