Rio 2016

Every four years we get to witness greatness wearing red, white & blue. It’s the year of the 2016 Olympics and I couldn’t more excited about the month of August. Olympic athletes only get this opportunity every four years, can you imagine working extremely hard for four years to say I am an Olympian? This year’s Olympics will be hosted in Rio de Janiero, Brazil located in South America home of one of the Seven Wonders of the World; Christ Redeemer. There was much opposition about the hosting of the Olympics in Rio due to the current economic state of the country, the crime rate and now the Zika virus. However, this did not deter the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to hold the Olympics in Rio.  The Olympic Games will bring in tons of revenue and boost tourism for the country which is a positive economic impact.

Olympic Quick Facts

• Consists of 28 sports, and 306 events
• The first Olympic Games was hosted in 1850 in Athens, Greece
• The very well-known Olympic Rings symbol represents the 5 continents
• Amateur and Professional athletes can compete in the games
• 206 countries will be represented in the 2016 Olympics
• And over 10,000+ athletes will compete to be earn Olympic Medals

Team USA will send 4,000+ athletes to Rio this summer. I am most excited about the female athletes that will be showcased some familiar faces and some new faces.  The Olympics is such an important event because it’s one of those times we get to see talented female athletes represented on TV for an entire month and the whole world is watching. And as we all know representation is key; many female athletes watched the Olympic Games as a child and knew that this was they wanted to do. It’s important for our young girls to see themselves in these athletes and be empowered. I can remember watching the games as a child and witting in awe of Domonique Dawes, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Marion Jones, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, Mia Hamm, and many others.  With all of the tension that is going on in the US I’m hoping that Team USA will restore pride and unity throughout our great nation. Women in sports is empowerment, it proves that we are more than mothers and wives. It proves that we are capable of pushing our body to amazing limits, far beyond what others imagine. So I urge everyone reading this to tune into the Olympics this summer, grab your nieces, daughters, cousins whoever and catch some of the Olympic events with them. The Olympics will start August 5^th with the opening ceremonies at the Maracaña Stadium, it will air on NBC at 8:00pm ET/PT and at 7:00pm ET. For a complete schedule of events and results visit http://www.nbcolympics.com/ you can also stream events from this website as well.

And if you wanted to know what athletes to look for here are some of my favorites from Team USA!