Rio outlines 2016 Games and 2012 closing ceremony plans

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Maracana stadium
Image caption,

The Olympic ceremonies stadium, the Maracanã, is under reconstruction

The Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in four zones across the city, the Brazilian organising committee has said.

Plans for their eight-minute segment in the London 2012 closing ceremony on Sunday night have also been set out at London's Olympic Park.

They said pure Brazilian samba would demonstrate the country's passion.

Events will be at Copacabana Beach, the Olympic Park which is being built at Barra, in Deodoro and at the Maracanã.

The Rio de Janeiro Games are being tag-lined as "A city leaps forward" and Brazilian children presented the video outlining the city's plans to build venues and infrastructure.

The Games will be staged in four areas, external:

  • Copacabana - Olympic: beach volleyball; rowing and canoe sprint/kayak; marathon swim; triathlon; sailing; race walk; road cycling. Paralympic: rowing and paracanoe; triathlon; sailing; marathon and road cycling.

  • Barra - Olympic: basketball; taekwondo and judo; wrestling; handball; tennis; track cycling; diving, water polo; swimming and synchronised swimming; gymnastics, artistic, rhythmic and trampoline; boxing; table tennis; weightlifting; and badminton. Paralympic: wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby; judo and boccia; sitting volleyball; goalball; wheelchair tennis; track cycling; swimming; wheelchair basketball; table tennis; powerlifting.

  • Deodoro - Olympic: equestrian; shooting; hockey; fencing; modern pentathlon, mountain-biking, BMX and canoe slalom; Paralympic: equestrian; shooting; football; wheelchair fencing;

  • Maracanã - Olympic: marathon; archery; athletics; rugby; football; volleyball. Paralympic: archery; athletics.

Football will also be held in cities across the country - São Paulo, Brasília, Belo Horizonte and Salvador.

The famous Maracanã football stadium, the venue for the 1950 World Cup, is being redeveloped for the 2014 finals, which Brazil is also hosting, and the 2016 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies.

Organisers said construction was running on time and they were "delivering on our promises" to transform the city and transportation network.

They said London Games organisers Locog had been sharing with them information on how to organise a Games.

Some detail about Brazil's eight-minute part of the London closing ceremony was also revealed.

It will feature diva Marisa Monte, model Alessandra Ambrosio, Renato Sorriso - a dancer and street cleaner who sweeps up between samba schools appearing at the Rio carnival, 82 drummers and the rapper Bnegao.

Rehearsals have been taking place in Greenwich and Dagenham, where the London ceremonies have also practised.

Dancers will wear outfits including gold lamé flared bodysuits and the artistic directors said it would feature "pure samba" with roots in Brazilian percussion.