RIO DE JANEIRO (Sputnik) – The ceremony was held on Friday evening and lasted for about four hours. About 12,000 athletes from a record 207 counties walked out on the stadium during the ceremony.
Brazilian sailor Robert Scheidt, who has won two golds, two silvers and a bronze from five Olympic Games, took the athletes' oath on behalf of all competitors at the Rio Games.
Brazil’s retired long-distance runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, who won the marathon bronze at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, lit the cauldron.
The Summer Olympic Games are being held in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro from August 5 until August 21. Brazil is the first South American country to host the competition.
