(ATR) The iconic Sambadrome received its first action ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Brazil hosted the country’s top archers in the 40th national archery championships at the Sambadrome, giving the venue its first sporting action. According to Rio 2016, it is the first time the championships have been held in this venue.
The Sambadrome will host archery, para-archery, and the marathon events for the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics. Renovations on the venue were completed in 2012, expanding the capacity to 72,500 spectators.
Usually, the Sambadrome is the site of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval festivities, where the city’s samba schools showcase themselves in the carnival parade.
Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes attended the opening of the championships to get a preview of what it will look like for the Games. The championships hosted 216 of Brazil’s best archers.
Archery will have their official Rio 2016 test event in September 2015.
Written by Aaron Bauer
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.