Rio 2016 - XXXI Olympiad

Since the first Olympic Games of the modern era held in 1896, until today’s XXXI Olympiad, this sports event represents the biggest international sports competition of our times. Under the slogan Citius, Altius, Fortius – faster, higher, stronger, athletes from all over the world compete to win the brightest medals in their disciplines. Serbia is scheduled to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This will be the nation’s fourth appearance at the Summer Olympics as an independent nation.

To mark this special sporting event Serbian Post is going to release two stamps and one special souvenir sheet.

At the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens, 285 athletes from 13 countries took part competing in 9 sports and 43 sports disciplines, while at the XXXI Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro participation of about 10,500 athletes who will compete in 28 different sports and 302 sports disciplines is expected.

XXXI Olympic Games which will be held from 5 – 21 August 2016 in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro are the first Olympic Games in 21st century which are held in the South Hemisphere, in Latin America. Rio de Janeiro was elected host city at the 2009 Congress of the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, beating the candidatures of Tokyo, Chicago and Madrid. The mascot of the Games in Rio is Vinicius, named after Vinicius de Moraes, a musician, and represents a mixture of cat, bird and monkey. The design is taken both from pop culture and animated characters of video games.

The opening ceremony of the XXXI Olympic Games is scheduled for 5 August 2016 at Marakana, the famous Brazilian stadium. Most successful athletes will proudly bear flags of 206 olympic committees, and the Olympic flag as well, under which independent athletes will compete at the Olympics.

In accordance with tradition, the first flag in the defile of National Olympic Committees and competitors will be the flag of Greece, while the last will be the flag of the host country, the flag of Brazil.

The team of Serbia will be comprised of about 100 athletes who will compete in several team and individual sports disciplines such as basketball, volleyball, water polo, athletics, tennis, rowing, taekwondo…