Feel it, it is (almost) here.

Some events in Rio have already kicked off, including our women’s and men’s u23 football teams, but tonight sees the opening ceremony kick off good and proper.

At 8PM local time Rio’s opening ceremony will begin at the Maracana Stadium, and I think it’s safe to assume they’ve removed the bit where Gisele Bundchen gets mugged by now (HERE).

Given that 8PM in Rio is 1AM our time I should say tomorrow’s opening ceremony, but because it’s a Friday and we can stay up late we’re sticking to our headline.

There is some action before then though – check below:

More on the opening ceremony from Rio2016:

The stadium will stage the opening and closing ceremonies and the decisive matches of the men’s and women’s football tournaments (both finals and one semi-final in each).

The iconic venue was modernised for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and can hold 74,738 spectators…

Brazilian film director Fernando Meirelles and producer Daniela Thomas have created an opening ceremony with a budget which is a tenth of Danny Boyle’s London 2012 opening ceremony. Meirelles, who directed the wildly successful Brazilian movie City of God, said: “I’m very glad we’re not spending money like crazy. I’m happy to work with this low budget because it makes sense for Brazil”…

The Refugee Olympic Team are the penultimate participants with Brazil bringing up the rear. Expect the biggest cheer of the night for them. And some samba!

If you’re not feeling the Olympic spirit just yet then check out five legendary South African gold medals HERE – come now, that should do the trick.

[source:rio2016]