The opening ceremony of the 31 modern Olympic Games in the famous Maracana stadium was simple and those inside were treated to a show that mixed light displays, fireworks, dancing and music. With a lot of samba and Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen walking out to Daniel Jobim, grandson of the musician Tom Jobim, playing the famous ‘Girl from Ipanema’, the 2016 Rio Olympics started amid protests outside the stadium and 2/3 of the seats of the 80,000 capacity venue empty. Olympic winner Sofia Bekatorou entered the stadium carrying the Greek flag. An estimated 3 billion people around the globe watched the opening. The ceremony started with the raising of the Brazilian flag and the national anthem. The show began with a recreation of how life started with a multitude of yellow butterflies filling the stadium, followed by the entry of humans in the Amazon river. The initial slow tempo of the music gave way to the more upbeat rhythm capturing the mixture of musical variety ranging and pop culture ranging from samba, reggae, salsa, mamba, hip hop and rap. Dancers dressed in white made their way across the stadium showing dancing and rhythm is the Brazilian psyche. Over 11,000 athletes from 206 countries will take place in the Games, which are being held in South America for the first time. Athletes will be competing for a total of 306 medals in 28 disciplines and sports. The events will take place in 33 venues in Rio, Brasilia, Manaus, Sao Paolo, Belo Horizonte and Salvador.