(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) Amman, Aug.6 (Petra) -- The 2016 Olympics late Friday have been formally opened with a dazzling ceremony at Rio's Maracana stadium.
Around 80,000 spectators filled the open-air football stadium in Rio to watch the opening ceremony that focused on themes of ecology, diversity and joy. The event welcomed 10,500 athletes from more than 200 countries around the world.
One of the warmest welcomes of the evening was given to a team consisting of refugee athletes. They were the penultimate group to enter the stadium. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said the refugee team were sending "a message of hope to the millions of refugees around the globe".
Thousands of protestors lined the boulevard alongside Copacabana beach, calling for the removal of interim president Michel Temer, there were also smaller demonstrations near the Maracana, with about 200 protestors marching from the Saens Pena square in Tijuca to the stadium.
Heavy security was in force around the Olympic Park during the ceremony, with army troops positioned every 25 meters. Police cordoned off a large area around the Beach Volleyball Arena in Copacabana and deployed robotic bomb detection devices during the ceremony.
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6/8/2016 - 12:21:43 PM
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