The 31st Olympiad promises to be one of the biggest yet, boasting millions of spectators, thousands of hours of events, dozens of Zika scares, 0.3 billion gallons of wastewater, and a couple of very important firsts.
1: The number of Olympic Games hosted in South America (including this one). Rio de Janeiro won the bid in 2009 beating out Tokyo, Chicago, and Madrid.
1,000: The minimum number of U.S. spies sent to Rio to assist the Brazilian government for the Olympics.
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$261: The approximate value of the gold contained in an Olympic medal, which only contain 6g (1.2%) of actual gold.
480: The number of Olympic-size swimming pools that would be required to hold the sewage that flows into Rio’s waters every day (that’s approximately 1.2 billion litres of raw wastewater daily).
7,000: The approximate number of hours of programming NBCUniversal’s networks and digital platforms will be broadcasting.
450,000: The number of condoms the IOC will provide for the 10,000-plus athletes staying in the Olympic village. According to the Folha de São Paulo newspaper, the IOC will provide 350,000 male condoms, 100,000 female condoms, and 175,000 packets of lube. That’s approximately 42 condoms per athlete.
3 teaspoons: The volume of water open-water athletes would need to ingest to be “almost certain” of contracting a virus. Bob Costas advised athletes competing in the open water swimming competitions: “Try to keep your mouth closed.” Seems like solid advice.
12: The number of Olympic Village buildings that had passed safety inspection testing as of July 26th– ten days before the Opening Ceremony. That’s less than half of the 31 total buildings. After reports of clogged toilets, gas leaks, exposed wires, a small fire, and being robbed the Australian delegation probably won’t be moving out of their hotel anytime soon.
85,000: The number of soldiers and policemen being deployed to secure the Olympic stadiums and protect athletes and attendees. NBC News has reported that this is “the largest security force assembled at any event in Brazil's history and twice as large as the security presence for London 2012.”
5,000: The approximate number of Swarovski crystals that will adorn each member of the U.S. women’s gymnastic team's leotards. Samantha Peszek, who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, says she understands the compulsion to bedazzle: "It’s part of the ‘look good, feel good, do good’ aspect. It’s a very important part of the sport. It may sound trivial, but what you wear really matters.”
3: As of April, Rio had three times the number of identified Zika cases of any other city in Brazil. Due to the high infection rate, over two months ago scientists made the recommendation that the Olympics should be postponed or relocated due to the threat of Zika.
7: The approximate percentage of expenditures for the Olympics that Rio officials are expected to make back in financial gains. Preparations for the Olympics began after Rio wrapped up the 2014 FIFA World Cup, an event that cost the country 15 billion dollars and returned less than 7 percent in revenue.
100: The number of meters Justin Gatlin will have to beat Usain Bolt, “The Fastest Man Alive.” Gatlin missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of a four year ban due to testosterone-doping. On August 14th at approximately 9:25 p.m. EST, Gatlin will compete in what is likely his last chance at redemption and Bolt’s last Olympic Games.
112: The number of years since there has been an Olympic golf tournament. The IOC decided to reinstate it after its extended hiatus, and commissioned American architect Gil Hanse to design the course. Golf was only in the official Olympic program in 1900 and 1904. 41 countries will compete in the Rio 2016 Olympic golf tournament. It’ll also probably be the last time golf is featured in the Olympics for the next century.
0: The number of times the Brazil men’s soccer team has won Olympic gold. Led by Neymar and guided by new coach Rogerio Micale, the team hopes to change that—and redeem themselves after a truly substandard Copa America performance in June.
21: The approximate number of athletes who have pulled out of the Olympics citing Zika and “other factors.” As of August 4th, 14 male golfers– including the four top seeds; one female golfer; four tennis players, the first being Wimbledon runner-up, Canadian Milos Raonic; as well as basketball legends Stephen Curry and LeBron James. Many other delegations are concerned about the threat of Zika; the South Korean team will be wearing uniforms equipped with mosquito repellent.
10: The number of athletes competing for the Refugee Olympic Team. They will compete under the Olympic flag. The team includes two swimmers from Syria, two judokas from the DRC, a marathon runner from Ethiopia, and five runners from South Sudan.
4: The number of locations in which competition will take place: Copacabana, the beach, which will host beach volleyball and dozens of severed limbs and washed-up body parts; Barra, the location of the Olympic Park; Deodoro, which will host the aquatic center, equestrian center, and BMX events; and Maracanã, home to two large stadiums where various events as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will take place.
5: This will be Michael Phelps’ fifth—and likely final—Olympic performance. Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time, and holds the all-time record for Olympic gold medals—18.
119: The number of Russian athletes who have been banned from competing in Rio as of August 3rd. IOC President Thomas Bach announced in July that, despite clear evidence for one of the biggest cases of state-sponsored cheating in athletic history, the IOC would not implement an outright ban of Russian competitors. Many athletes are still awaiting judgement, but individual federations have already banned the country’s entire weightlifting team and nearly all athletes on the track and field team.
40: The number of years since Bruce Jenner—now Caitlyn Jenner—won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
7.5 million: The number of tickets for the various events in the Games. Opening Ceremony seats will cost close to $3,000 for prime seating, but some swimming events will only run for $40. Or you can watch on TV, zika-free.
19: The number of days of competition during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.
92: The number of years since Rugby was featured at the Olympics. The sport will return with a variant of the traditional ball game– Rugby Sevens– which features seven players on a side and lasts only 15 minutes per game. Both the U.S. men’s and women’s teams are favorites to medal in Rio.
14: The number of gold medals the U.S. men’s national basketball team has won. The team has competed in 17 Games– beginning in 1936 when Basketball became an official Olympic event.
10,500: The number of athletes expected to take part in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
500,000: The number of tourists expected to descend on Rio for the Olympic Games. They will join the 10,000 athletes and six million plus residents of Rio de Janeiro.
306: The number of events comprising the 31st Olympiad.
60,000: The number of meals organizers report they will prepare to feed the athletes residing in the Olympic Village. Meals will include Brazilian staples and local foods from the Rio area including tapioca and acai. Yum.
206: The number of countries sending delegates to compete in this year’s Rio Olympics.
How to Live Stream the 2016 Rio Olympics:
NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app will be live streaming coverage of the Games for pay TV subscribers via TV Everywhere. You can download the NBC Sports app to your Android TV, Apple TV, Xbox or Roku or use the iOS, Android or Windows Phone apps.
You can also live stream Olympic matches from NBC here.
You can catch up on four years of world championships, world cup matches, and international competitions by Team USA at NBC Olympics and look forward to upcoming competitions with the official Rio 2016 Olympic schedule from NBC.
