Olympic Games of 2016
The 2016 Olympic Games, hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, took place from August 5 to 21 and involved over ten thousand athletes from 207 nations competing in thirty-one sports. The event was marked by the United States leading the medal count, securing 43 golds and a total of 116 medals, with notable performances from athletes such as Michael Phelps and Simone Biles. The Games also witnessed record-breaking achievements, with 27 new world records established across various sports.
However, the Olympics were not without controversy; concerns regarding water quality, crime, and social issues in Rio overshadowed the athletic performances. The Brazilian government faced criticism for its heavy-handed tactics to combat crime, including actions in impoverished communities known as favelas. Additionally, the Zika virus posed a health scare, resulting in lower attendance than expected.
Despite these challenges, the Games celebrated significant milestones, with countries like Fiji, Jordan, and Kosovo winning their first Olympic medals. Athletes like Usain Bolt continued to cement their legendary status, while the ongoing investigation into doping practices clouded the participation of many Russian athletes. Overall, the 2016 Olympics reflected a complex interplay of sportsmanship, achievement, and sociopolitical dynamics.
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Olympic Games of 2016
The 2016 Olympics were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21. More than ten thousand athletes represented 207 nations in thirty-one sports. Over slightly more than two weeks, 306 sets of medals were awarded to winners. The United States dominated the medal table, with athletes taking home 43 gold medals and 116 total medals. American athletes also dominated in the pool, winning 32 percent of the medals awarded in swimming and diving events.
The top ten athletes, by medal count, were Michael Phelps (United States), Katie Ledecky (United States), Simone Biles (United States), Katinka Hosszu (Hungary), Usain Bolt (Jamaica), Jason Kenny (Great Britain), Danuta Kozak (Hungary), Ryan Murphy (United States), Simone Manuel (United States), and Maya DiRado (United States). Many athletes set records. In addition to these high points, however, at times concerns about water quality, crime, and other social issues, as well as the actions of some athletes, overshadowed the games.
Background
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Brazil as the 2016 Summer Olympics venue in 2009. The choice was the result of an intense campaign. Countries that vie for the Olympics must make their case through an intensive process meant to prove the venue will meet the needs of the athletes and visitors. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva personally pitched his country, and the city of Rio de Janeiro, before the IOC in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lula had to address significant concerns about Rio as the host of the games. The city and its region were plagued by crime, violence, and rampant police corruption. Many people lived in poverty in crowded slums. In its proposal, Rio made significant promises. These included vows to improve the infrastructure to accommodate tourists and athletes, and to construct water treatment plans to reduce pollution.
The Brazilian government drew criticism for some of its tactics to stamp out violence and put a halt to drug gangs, both before the IOC decision and in the years leading up to the Olympics. Police and military personnel carried out joint operations in the slums, called the favelas. They swept through, arresting drug traffickers and stationing guard units in the streets. To prepare for the Olympic infrastructure improvements, such as highways and stadiums, Brazil leveled slum communities. Residents received small compensation checks, and some people were rehoused in small dwellings up to one and a half miles from the center of Rio. Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Council condemned Brazil for these actions.
In May of 2015, the Zika virus was reported in Brazil. This mosquito-borne virus can cause flu-like symptoms in humans. Pregnant women who become infected can bear children with severe birth defects. This global health concern caused a number of people who had planned to attend the games to stay away. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the risk of contracting Zika in Rio was low. Several athletes stayed away from Rio because of the risk of Zika.
Even days before the games were to begin, athletes were concerned about the water quality. Raw sewage flowed into the waterways and ocean. About 150 metric tons of industrial wastewater also poured into the Guanabara Bay daily. Because many water events, such as sailing and marathon swimming, were taking place in the bay, officials and athletes were concerned.
Overview
In events that recognize world records, twenty-seven were broken in Rio: eight in swimming, eight in weightlifting, seven in track cycling, three in athletics, and one in archery. The women's team pursuit cycling record was broken three times by Great Britain. Polish gold medalist Anita Wlodarczyk broke her own world record in the women's hammer. Fiji, Jordan, and Kosovo gained their first Olympic medals ever.
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, already an Olympic legend, again impressed fans. He won gold medals in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x100-meter team relay, bringing his total of gold medals to nine. The legendary athlete set an unprecedented bar by winning the 100-meter and 200-meter events at three consecutive Olympic Games.
American swimmer Michael Phelps retired after the London 2012 Olympic Games. Two years later, however, he began training to return for the 2016 games. In the Rio pool, he won individual gold medals in the 200-meter butterfly and 200-meter medley. He and his teammates won gold medals in the 4x100-meter freestyle, 4x200-meter freestyle, and 4x100-meter medley relays. He also took a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly, capping his Olympics with a career twenty-eight medals—including a record twenty-three gold medals. He retired as the winningest American Olympic athlete.
The US women's gymnastics team consisting of Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, and Madison Kocian won the team gold. Biles took three gold—in all-around, floor, and vault—and a bronze on the balance beam. Raisman joined Biles on the podium with silver medals in all-around and floor. Hernandez took silver in balance beam, and Kocian won silver on the uneven bars. The nine medals beat the US women's gymnastics old record total of eight, set in 1984 and matched in 2008. The team also set a US women's gymnastics record for gold medals won at a single Olympics.
The team from Great Britain dominated the cycling events. Jason Kenny won three golds, bringing his Olympic total to six medals. Laura Trott took home four gold medals. In his fifth consecutive games, winning medals each time, Bradley Wiggins won a team pursuit gold, bringing his total to eight medals.
Some athletes departed the games under dark clouds. Ryan Lochte, who won a gold medal at the games, reported that he and some fellow athletes had been robbed at gunpoint in Rio. The Brazilian authorities began an investigation, and the government was embarrassed by the account. As his story unraveled under the scrutiny of authorities, and the release of video that disputed his account, the swimmer eventually apologized. His four major sponsors quickly dropped him, and the US Olympic Committee issued an apology.
Many of the Russian athletes competed under a cloud of suspicion as a doping investigation commenced before the 2016 summer games. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accused Russia of operating a state-sponsored doping program prior to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. WADA recommended banning all Russian athletes—389 competitors—from the Rio games. An IOC panel cleared 271 athletes to compete before the start of the summer games and continued to hear appeals even as the events were under way. The Russian team went home with nineteen gold medals, eighteen silver, and nineteen bronze.
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