2016 Rio Olympics

Is some Olympic commentary sexist?

  • The husband of a gold medallist was referred to as the "man responsible" for her world record
  • One gymnast was criticised when her leotard "failed to complement her skin tone"

10 things Brazil does better than anywhere else

As the world descends on Rio de Janeiro for the XXXI Olympiad, Brazilians are ready to help the world take a load off and experience something missing for a while: fun.

Here are 10 things Brazil does better than anywhere else:

Play

Research shows that playfulness creates a kind of charisma that others want in on.

It's a key part of the Brazilian personality: a willingness to laugh at themselves, their predicaments and political absurdities and to welcome others in on the joke.

NZ takes silver in women's sevens final

While Australia scored four tries to New Zealand's three (two from Kayla McAlister and one by Portia Woodman), to take the match 24-17, video replays of their first try suggested the ball was lost forward on the line.

New Zealand scored first, with McAlister crossing the line to put her team 5-0 up in the first five minutes of the game, but Australia evened the score with Emma Tonegato touched down for the favourites. Though the try was granted it appeared Tonegato lost the ball forward on the line.

'Rio is ready to make history' as Olympic Games begin

That was the message behind a vibrant Opening Ceremony that heralded the start of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

From supermodel Gisele Bundchen's tribute to the "Girl from Ipanema" to the promise of an athletes' forest to be planted after the Games, Brazil's big night saluted the country's past and pointed towards a greener future.

A day of protests against the hosting of the Games gave way to a night of pageantry at the Maracana Stadium, albeit on a budget one-tenth the size of the equivalent in London four years ago.

​Team PNG settles in at Rio

In the Team PNG rooms, motivational messages from students of various schools in PNG have been placed on the walls, providing a welcome reminder to the athletes of the great support from home.

The first two Team PNG athletes to arrive, Raymond Ovinou of judo and Thadius Katua of boxing, have gotten straight into their training sessions at the Games training venues.

Katua had a sparring session with a boxer from Thailand.

His performance against the more experienced boxer was pleasing, according to coaches Allan Nicolson and Joe Aufa.