(CNN)The
athletes have arrived, the venues are ready and expectation is palpable
as the sporting world awaits the commencement of the 31st Olympic Games, the first ever Olympiad to be staged in South America.
Although there is little by the way of sporting action Friday, there's still plenty happening in host city Rio de Janeiro.
Opening ceremony
Rio
2016 will officially get underway Friday when IOC president Thomas Bach
opens the Games in the Maracana Stadium. Before that an estimated television audience of billions will tune in to view an opening ceremony that is expected to showcase the best of Brazilian culture and sport.
The ceremony will be overseen by
Brazilian film director Fernando Meirelles -- of "City of God" fame --
and producer Daniela Thomas, who had a hand in the handover ceremony
from 2012.
Supermodel Gisele Bundchen will also make an appearance and just what part will soccer legend Pele play in the Opening Ceremony?
Read: The athlete who waited nine years for his gold medal
Refugee Team
The first ever refugee team will take its bow during Friday's opening ceremony as athletes from all participating nations line up in the Maracana.
Competing under the Olympic flag, the
six male and four female refugee athletes will include talented
competitors originally from the likes of Syria, the Democratic Republic
of Congo and South Sudan.
Should any of them win gold during the Games, they will be serenaded by the Olympic anthem while on the podium.
Archery
Although the games don't officially begin until Friday evening, archery will follow football in getting an early start.
While
there are no medals up for grabs, the men's and women's individual and
team rankings rounds will take place Friday at the Sambodrome, the
stadium where local samba schools parade against each other during Rio
Carnival.
Protests
Protesters have grabbed headlines in recent days by disrupting the Olympic torch as it made it's way around the streets of Rio.
On Wednesday, police fired tear gas to
disperse a group people in the north of the city who were looking to
extinguish the flame. And according to reports on the respected "Inside the Games" website, more protests are scheduled for Friday.
Many
Brazilians are upset by the cost of the Olympics and believe the money
could be better spent at a time when the country is struggling
economically.
Let the Games begin
With
the flame lit and the ceremony completed, all eyes will turn to
Saturday when action commences across 22 sports. Medals will be up for
grabs in the road cycling, judo, fencing, swimming, archery events,
weightlifting and shooting events.
Courtecy: CNN