19 reasons to remember Rio Olympic Games

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ASTANA. KAZINFORM - The 31st Olympic Games came to an end in Brazil. Kazinform news agency has its 19 reasons to remember the Games.

1. The Olympics Games in Rio were held for the first time in South America

 

Rio competed with such cities as Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo for the right to host the Games and won this right to hold the Olympiad for the first time in South America.

2. Maracana Stadium

 

The opening ceremony was held at legendary Maracanda Stadium that holds the record in terms of the football match attention. Presently, it has seats for 78 thousand fans, but it placed 173 thousand football fans during the 1950 football world championship.

3. New team

 

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games the team of refugees consisting of athletes from Syria, South Sudan, Congo and Ethiopia took part in the Games.

4. Safety has priority

 

85 thousand soldiers and policemen were involved in ensuring security at the Rio Olympics. This is the most number of security people involved in Olympic Games.

5. Born in 2000s

 

People born in the 2000s took part in the Rio Games for the first time. According to the rules, atheltes born before January 1, 2003 could take part in the Olympiad.  

6. Sensational victory of Kazakhstani swimmer

  

21-year-old Dmitriy Balandin representing Kazakhstan won the first Olympic gold medal in swimming for Kazakhstan.

7. Kazakhstan continues to win gold medals in boxing

  

The Kazakhstan national team brought gold medals from each summer Olympiad over the last 20 years. Thanks to the gold medal won by Daniyar Yeleussinov Kazakhstan went down in history as a country whose boxers won gold medals in the same weight class four Olympic Games in a row - 69 kg.

 

 

 

 

 

8. Undeserved silver of Kazakhstan



 
Another hotly discussed theme at the Games was the judges' decision in the boxing final in the 91 kg weight class between Russian Evgeny Tishchenko and Vasily Levit. The judges decided that Tishchenko won the bout despite Vasily dominating the bout and all the people watching the fight being confident of Levit's victory.

However, according to the AIBA rules, the judges' decisions cannot be reconsidered or reversed.

9. Mohammed Ali style



Kazakhstani boxer Kairat Yeraliyev surprised everyone by the way he moved and dodged punches like legendary Mohammed Ali. Kairat Yeraliyev faced 2013 world champion from Azerbaijan Javid Chalabiyev in the 56 kg weight class at the Olympic boxing tournament, where he surprised everyone with how he moves in the ring.

10. Tear of defeat

 

Kazakhstani boxer Adilbek Niyazymbetov was nicknamed "silverman". He took his second silver medal of the Olympic tournament after the London Games in 2012. During the awarding ceremony Adilbek could not hold back his tear.

11. Weightlifters from Kazakhstan cannot be distracted

 

The International Weightlifting Federation banned Olympic champions Iliya Ilyin, Zulfiya Chinshanlo, Svetlana Podobedova and Maya Maneza before the start of the Rio Games on June 16. The reason for imposing a ban on Kazakhstani weightlifters was a positive doping test. The decision on their titles and possible disqualification has not been made yet.

Despite losing the main favorites to win the medals Kazakhstan won five medals in weightlifting. Nijat Rahimov won the gold medal of the Games in the 77 kg weight class, Zhazira Zhapparkul won a silver medal, Farkhad Kharki, Karina Goricheva and Alexander Zaichikov won bronze medals of the Rio Olympics.

 

 

 

 

12. Kazakhstan in figures


Kazakhstan won the record number of medals at these Games - 17, and took the 22nd place in the overall medals table. The sports delegation of Kazakhstan was represented by 104 Olympic athletes competing in 26 sports.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. Non-disqualified Russia

 

Before the start of the Olympic Games in Rio the anti-doping agencies of ten countries and over 20 groups of athletes were determined to make sure that the Russian national team would be disqualified from Olympic participation. The IOC made a decision not to disqualify the Russian team.

In total, Russia won 53 medals, 17 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze medals.

14. Be better than your idols

 

On August 12, 2016, Singaporean Joseph Isaac Schooling became the first Olympic champion in the history of Singapore after beating 23-time Olympic champion American Michael Phelps. After the victory, a picture of Schooling with his idol Michael Phelps taken before the Olympic Games in Beijing surfaced on the Internet. Schooling is 21 now and Phelps is 31, and he is retiring from swimming after the Games, but it was a curious moment anyway.

 

15. Death for four lives

 

Trainer of the German canoe team Stefan Henze, who died at hospital after an accident in Rio, saved four lives after death.

Henze had serious head injuries as a result of the accident. He died at hospital. His family agreed to donate his organs to save other lives.

16. Olympic spirit

 

Two Olympic runners competing in the 5000m race were helping each other to reach the finish line after the fall. On the 9th of 13 laps runner Nikki Hamblin from New Zealand stumbled and fell. American Abbey D'Agostino who ran behind her stumbled upon her and fell as well. She sprained her knee, and both runners hurt in the fall were helping each other to reach the finish line. They obviously finished last, but they were both allowed to participate in the final run.

17. Emotional Chinese athletes

 

Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui, who won a bronze medal of the Games, gave an interview to CCTV channel that went viral. The swimmer thought that her result was 59 seconds, but when a journalist told her that her result was 58.95 Fu reacted very emotionally to the news and her achievement. She, obviously, could not control her emotions for some time.

18. Olympic love

  

Two-time Olympic champion in diving Qin Kai proposed to his beloved right on the podium during the awarding ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. He proposed to his girlfriend He Zi. She said "yes".

19. 9th gold medal for the fastest man on the planet

  

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt became nine-time Olympic champion after winning three gold medals in Rio. He has become the first athlete to have won sprint races and sprint relays at three Olympic Games in a row.

 

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