Let the games begin

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The 2016 Summer Olympics was inaugurated amidst much fanfare and vigour in Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro. Showcasing the culture and traditions of Brazil, the opening ceremony with performances and marches saw over 75,000 people attending to witness the spectacle. Vanderlei de Lima, former marathon runner, lit the Olympic cauldron.

The Nepali Olympic team was part of contingents from over 200 countries participating in the two-week long sporting event this year.

The team has a total of seven players participating in different sports categories. In athletics, Hari Rimal will compete in the 5,000-metre race while Saraswati Bhattarai will take part in the 1,500-metre race.

This year’s South Asian Games judo gold medallist Phuphu Lama Khatri will compete in the judo category. Two players will participate in swimming: Sirish Gurung in the men’s team, and 13-year old Gaurika Singh, who also has been identified as the youngest female competitor in the Olympics.

Apart from these players, Nisha Rawal will take part in taekwondo while Jitbahadur Muktan will compete in archery.

However, the Olympics, the first in a South American country, has been mired in controversy with the Russian doping scandal, the Zika virus and protests against the games in a country steeped in economic and political instability.