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| Brazil is the first South American country to host the Olympics |
The 31st Olympic Games officially start in Rio on Friday with the opening ceremony at the Maracana Stadium.
Athletes
from 206 nations and a refugee team are in Brazil to compete in 31
sports and be watched by a global audience of billions.
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| Swimmers Yusra Mardini and Rami Anis are part of the Refugee Olympic Team |
The
build-up has been dominated by a Russian doping scandal, the Zika virus
and issues with the city's security, infrastructure and venues.
But it is time for the sporting action to take centre stage as the first Olympics in South America begin.