Brazil hosted the first Summer Olympics in South America at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The Rio Games opened on 5 August 2016 and closed on 21 August. They were the first Olympic Games held in South America, the first in a Portuguese-speaking country and the first in a country in the Southern Hemisphere since Melbourne 1956.
Events took place in four main zones: Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Deodoro and Maracanã. The opening ceremony at Maracanã Stadium highlighted Brazilian history, music and environmental concerns. The Games also used venues outside Rio, including football stadiums in other Brazilian cities.
Rio 2016 is distinct from the 2016 Summer Paralympics, which followed in the same host city. Japan was scheduled to host the next Summer Olympics in 2020, but those Games were held in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.