In 2009, Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro was selected out of seven applicant cities to host the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Its rival candidates were: Chicago, Prague, Tokyo, Baku, Doha and Madrid. Known for its constant state of festivity and having one of the largest football stadiums in the world – the Maracanã – Rio seemed perfect for the first Olympic Games to ever be held in South America.

Under the slogan of "A New World," the Rio 2016 Olympics are scheduled to take place from August 5 to 21, bringing together more than 8,200 athletes from a record-setting number of countries (207) participating in a record number of sports (28). Meanwhile, the 2016 Paralympics will occur from from September 7 to 18, including 23 Paralympic sports among an estimated 175 nations.

Thirty-two competition sites will host the Olympic showdown. Six of them were already operational, nine were renewed, ten new permanent sites were constructed, while seven temporary ones were built. They will all be linked to each other by a high-capacity transportation network.

The official Olympic website  has revealed photos of the Rio 2016 Olympic venues, and they look pretty awesome. Here's a closer look at where our Arab athletes will achieve their Olympic dreams.

Starting off with the Legendary Maracanã stadium

Source: Wikipedia.
Source: Wikipedia.

This stadium will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the football finals, plus one men’s and one women’s semi-final. The other football matches will take place around the country, making use of stadiums in Salvador, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Manaus and São Paulo.

This August, the 2016 Olympics will top the list of the events held in the stadium that seats 78,838 spectators. It was the main venue of the 2007 Pan American Games, 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup.

The Olympic Tennis Centre

Source: Olympic.org
Source: Olympic.org

Built for the Rio 2016 Games, the Olympic Tennis Centre features 16 courts. Some of them will be dismantled after the Games, but the main court and its facilities are permanent.

Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre

Source: Facebook/PulseEagle
Source: Facebook/PulseEagle

With a construction area of 42,000 square meters and the capacity to receive around 8,000 people, the center will hold the diving, synchronized swimming and the water polo preliminary games.

The all-new Olympic Aquatics Stadium will host the the swimming events and water polo finals

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Source: Facebook/NBCOlympics

Its construction cost around $38 million.

Source: Facebook/Rio2016
Source: Facebook/Rio2016

The Olympic Equestrian Centre

Source: Olympic.org
Source: Olympic.org

Built for the 2007 Pan American Games, the million-square-meter Olympic Equestrian Centre was renovated and expanded for Rio 2016.

The Marina de Glória

Source: Wikimedia
Source: Wikimedia

This will be the home of the Olympic 2016 sailing competitions taking place in the waters of Guanabara Bay. Unfortunately, along with the excess oil that has been changing Olympic sailors' boats from white to brown, the bay's waters are contaminated with a life-threatening "super bacteria." It is presumed to have developed from the constant flow of untreated hospital waste and sewage. According to Reuters, ninety percent of the samples taken from the location of the Olympic sailing event contained the water-borne bacteria, which is resistant to antibiotics.

Effects of contracting the superbug include urinary, gastrointestinal, pulmonary and bloodstream infections and meningitis. Studies revealed fatal results in half of the infected patients.

Rio's waters are also infested with sewage and human waste. The Guardian reports that an Olympic sailor has already been infected with MRSA, a flesh-eating bacteria, after sailing at an Olympic test event in Rio.

Source: Olympic.org
Source: Olympic.org

Golf returns to the Olympics in Rio 2016

Source: rio2016.com
Source: rio2016.com

After a 112-year halt, golf will be re-established as an Olympic sport this August. The 18-hole Olympic Golf Course was built for Rio 2016 using native vegetation based on an environmental recovery project. The course will open to the public after the Games.

The Future Arena

Source: Olympic.org
Source: Olympic.org

Where Qatar, Egypt and Tunisia's handball teams will fight for their first Olympic glory. The temporary construction will later be replaced with four state schools.

Pontal

Source: Olympic.org
Source: Olympic.org

The start and finish line for the road cycling time trials, as well as the race walking competitions will take place on the beautiful western coast, in a temporary facility.

The Rio Olympic Velodrome

Source: Olympic.org
Source: Olympic.org

The cycling track, which was the last Olympic venue to be completed, is the only one of its kind in Brazil. It was originally constructed for the 2007 Pan American Games but was redone to fulfill higher international standards.

“The track is fast and smooth and the wood is great,” said Switzerland’s Gael Suter, winner of the men's event in the Olympic trials. “I think some great times will be done in the Olympics. I can't wait to come back in August. There will be some great races. I’m very happy to discover this beautiful track."