Rio 2016 Olympics: Opening Ceremony live on BBC One

Rio de Janeiro’s two-week carnival of sport gets underway on Friday, August 5, with what promises to be a colourful and spectacular Opening Ceremony to the 2016 Olympic Games, live on BBC One.

An estimated three billion people will watch the ceremony worldwide, which has taken five years to produce and includes 300 dancers, 5,000 volunteers and 12,000 costumes.

The usual spectacle of colour, glamour and pageantry is expected as Brazil, along with the whole of South America, celebrates hosting the Olympics for the first time with a ceremony that promises to highlight the country’s diverse history and culture.

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen and Briton Dame Judi Dench are confirmed to have roles in the production, which is directed by the Brazilian trio of Fernando Meirelles, Andrucha Waddington and Daniela Thomas.

A record 207 competing teams featuring more than 10,000 athletes will then walk into the Maracana stadium in front of 90,000 peoeple to take part in the Parade of Nations, which will include a Refugee Olympic Team, as well as athletes competing for Kosovo and South Sudan for the first time.

The Refugee team will compete under the Olympic flag and has 10 members, including five from South Sudan, two from Syria, two from DR Congo and one from Ethiopia.

With 554 athletes, the United States has the largest Olympic team for Rio 2016, while on the other end of the scale, 100m runner Etimoni Timuani will be the only athlete representing the South Pacific island of Tuvalu.

Defending Olympic men’s tennis champion Andy Murray has been given the honour of being Great Britain’s flag bearer for the parade, as he represents a team of 336 athletes which has been set a minimum target of winning 48 medals at Rio 2016, which would be the most for Team GB at any overseas Olympics.

Although the build-up to these Games has been dominated by a Russian doping scandal, the Zika virus and issues with the city’s security, infrastructure and venues, organisers are hoping that the events of the opening ceremony and the sporting action to follow will take centre stage.

Competitions will take place across 32 venues in Rio, with football matches also scheduled for the cities of Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Manaus, Salvador and Sao Paulo.

Of the 306 events across 28 Olympic sports, none are perhaps bigger or more highly anticipated than the men’s 100m sprint final and the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt, who goes for an unprecedented third straight medal in the event, while the Games also marks the return of golf and rugby to the Olympics.

Four years since Danny Boyle’s unforgettable Opening Ceremony in London four years ago, it’s time for the Rio’s version to dazzle and delight the watching world and UK viewers can follow all the excitement live on the BBC.

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You can watch the entire Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony live on BBC One as the 31st Olympic Games are officially opened at the iconic Maracana Stadium.

Clare Balding will present the BBC’s live coverage from 11.35pm on Friday, August 5, with the ceremony itself, which is set to last more than three hours, due to get underway at 12midnight.

Hazel Irvine and Andrew Cotter will provide commentary from inside the Maracana for the ceremony, which has been devised and directed by the famed Brazilian trio of Fernando Meirelles, Andrucha Waddington and Daniela Thomas.

Live coverage will also be available to watch in high-definition on BBC Ond HD and online via the BBC Sport website and app.

Ahead of the Opening Ceremony itself, BBC One will broadcast a special 90-minute prime-time preview show setting the scene for the two weeks ahead.

Also hosted by Clare Balding, Olympics 2016: Countdown to Rio will look ahead to what the Games has in store, in the company of some of the most famous Olympians of all time.

The programme hears from Great Britain’s biggest names, including Jessica Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah and Sir Bradley Wiggins, as well as legendary Olympians and now BBC commentators in Sir Chris Hoy, Sir Steve Redgrave and Michael Johnson.

With the ceremony taking place in the early hours of the morning in the UK, viewers will have a chance to catch up on all the highlights the following morning with a full replay on BBC Two from 9.15am.

Then on Saturday, August 6, it will be time for the sporting action to take centre stage as the BBC brings every gold medal at Rio 2016 across TV, radio and digital platforms in what is being billed as the first ‘mobile Olympics’.

BBC TV will broadcast more than 3,000 hours of coverage, including 550 hours on BBC One and BBC Four and additional TV streams via BBC Red Button, while up to 24 live video streams online will you show every moment.

Check out Sport On The Box’s complete viewing guide to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games here or look out for our regular daily TV guides on the website.

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FRIDAY 5th AUGUST

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SATURDAY 6th AUGUST

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