Chris McGrath/Getty Images(RIO DE JANEIRO) — The 2016 Olympic Summer Games will kick off Friday night in Rio de Janeiro in a festive opening ceremony filled with the traditions of the host country.
The Olympic torch will end its 95-day worldwide journey to light the cauldron in front of an estimated crowd of 70,000 at Maracana Stadium Friday night. Workers were seen on video using bolt cutters to open the gates because the keys to the locks were reportedly lost.
Eighteen-time gold medalist Michael Phelps will lead Team USA’s 555 athletes and bear the flag during roll call, which will be in alphabetical order. A request was put into the International Olympic Committee for Team USA to enter under the name “United States,” which would have fallen in the middle of the lineup, but it was denied. The Americans will instead enter under the Portuguese language of Brazil’s translation, “Estados Unidos,” which is number 69 out of 207 countries.
The opening ceremony in London in 2012, which featured appearances from Queen Elizabeth II herself and Daniel Craig in character as James Bond, has set the bar high for the events in Rio.
Sources tell ABC News that Rio will ring in its own ceremony with a mix of Carnival and Brazilian history, with a total of 6,000 volunteer performers. Perhaps the most internationally famous Brazilian, Gisele Bunchen, will come out of retirement to hit the catwalk while bearing her country’s flag.
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