(ATR) After the conclusion of Carnaval, Rio 2016 dove right back into the Olympic test event program.
Diving, from Feb. 19-24, and taekwondo, from Feb. 20-21, held their events at the Olympic Park at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Center and Carioca Arena 1 respectively.
The diving event was organized by the International Aquatics Federation and brought competitors from around the world attempting to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. Maria Lenk will host three aquatics disciplines, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo, a tough task for organizers. The open-air venue is the first since the 1992 Olympic diving competition in Barcelona, and presents a new set of challenges for competitors.
"We were prepared for what was thrown at us," Samantha Bromberg, a diver from the United States, said to ATR. "That’s kind of the point. Prepare for whatever weather is going to be and try to see the positives in that."
In Rio divers saw extreme weather shifts with intense heat and some competitions being delayed for thunderstorms. Organizers say they are not worried about these extreme weather patterns during the Games.
"It will be different time of the year, but as always it could rain and we could have thunderstorms during Games time, so we are using these lessons from here to adapt," Gustavo Nascimento, Rio 2016 venue management director, said to ATR.
The World Taekwondo Federation said that they were happy with the way the test event ran in Carioca Arena 1 despite the venue not hosting taekwondo during the Games. At the conclusion of the event, Philippe Bouedo, technical delegate from the WTF, said only "small adjustments" would be needed to translate the lessons from the test event to Olympic preparations in Carioca Arena 3.
"This is a good opportunity to test everything including the level of the players, the video replays, and the position of the floor, so it was very interesting and very positive," Bouedo said to ATR.
"It was good opportunity for athletes to come and see what is going to happen here during the Games. All the teams wanted to come because it is a wonderful opportunity to see what exactly will happen with the same conditions [at the Olympics]."
Click here to view a photo gallery from the two events.
Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro.
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