Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil, situated at the mouth of Guanabara Bay. It was founded in 1565 by the Portuguese. The first Europeans had entered Guanabara Bay on January 1, 1502, hence the name ‘River of January’.
It served as the capital city of Brazil until 1960 when the capital was transferred to Brasilia.
According to the latest official estimates, the population of Rio de Janeiro is 6.5 million.
The city’s exceptional urban setting including the Botanical Gardens, Corcovado Mountain with its celebrated statue of Christ the Redeemer, the hills around Guanabara Bay and the extensive designed landscapes along Copacabana Bay were all named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012.
Rio de Janeiro is the first city in South America to host the Olympic Games and the third in the southern hemisphere, after Melbourne 1952 and Sydney 2000.
Rio was awarded the 2016 Games at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in 2009 in Copenhagen, defeating Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago.
Copacabana & beach volleyball arena
Copacabana, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, is one of the most famous beaches in the world, taking its name from the Rio de Janeiro South Zone neighbourhood.
The neighbourhood itself was named after Our Lady of Copacabana, after an icon of the patron saint of Bolivia was brought to this beach in the 17th Century.
Stretching for more than four kilometres, the Copacabana promenade, designed by Roberto Burle Marx, features the famous geometric wave that has become a symbol of Rio.
The beach volleyball arena is a temporary venue with a capacity of 12,000, located at the western edge of Copacabana Beach, where it merges into Leme Beach. The venue is situated where Avenida Princesa Isabel meets the iconic Avenida Atlantica, at Posto 2.
Copacabana Beach has hosted numerous beach volleyball events throughout the years in temporary venues a little further to the east.