Rio gears up for Games

While the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympic Games is still close to 48 hours away, the games officially got underway yesterday through the women's football match between Sweden and South Africa at 1:00pm at the Olympic Stadium in Maracana. That game was followed by one between two of the powerhouses -- hosts Brazil and China while two more matches took place in Corinthians and two more in Mineirao.

The build-up to these games has been a rather uneasy one for the hosts. Issues have sprung up right, left and centre. The forcible eviction of residents for the Olympic Centre in Barra de Tijuca and a golf course made out of a nature reserve did not go down well with the locals and environmentalists. Then came the fear of the Zika virus, causing a number of top golfers and tennis stars to pull out of South America's first Summer Games. As if that was not enough, the teams themselves have raised issues with the organisers -- the Australian team unwilling to get into the Olympic village and now the Chinese contingent terming the games as a 'poor one compared to Beijing 2006'.

But as the galaxy of stars descend upon the city of Rio, there is a definite hope that once the Games get underway, these issues will take a backseat and stories of human endurance and sporting excellence will make the headlines.

Athletes like Michael Phelps are keen on leaving a legacy at the Rio Games. The greatest Olympian of all time, who touched down in Rio after midnight on Tuesday, soon took to the Olympic Aquatic Centre before stating his ambition.

"I'm honoured to be chosen, proud to represent the US, and humbled by the significance of carrying the flag and all it stands for," Phelps said. "This time around, it's about so much more than medals."

Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi athletes, all seven of them, are already here. Golfer Siddikur Rahman and archer Shyamoly Roy were the last two athletes from Bangladesh to arrive here. Abullahel Baki was the first to arrive, followed by the two sprinters -- Mezbahuddin Ahmed and Shirin Akter -- and the two swimmers Mahfizur Rahman Sagar and Sonia Akter Tumpa.

The most populous nation never to have won an Olympic medal, Bangladesh will be putting all their hopes on Commonwealth Games silver medallist Baki and of course, golfer Siddikur, to erase that sorry statistic.