Festivities Around The World Mark One-Year Out From Rio Games

Celebrations are scheduled around the world today to begin the one-year countdown to the '16 Rio Games. IOC President Thomas Bach is visiting the host city and will start a countdown clock at the City of Arts cultural venue near the Olympic Village during a week-long celebration. In N.Y., NBC will turn Rockefeller Center into an Olympic festival during the four-hour “Today” show and will feature 12 hopeful Team USA members during the broadcast. The athletes will run the gauntlet of media interviews and appear in the evening at Yankee Stadium prior to the start of a Yankees-Red Sox game. Both NBC and the USOC have promised extensive online coverage of the day’s events (Ben Fischer, Staff Writer).

“Today” promoted the Games heavily this morning, teasing the event in its opening segment with the headline “One Year To Rio!” Natalie Morales reported live from Copacabana Beach, and Matt Lauer said, “We’re throwing an Olympic-sized celebration on our plaza.” Morales said, “You can be sure that Rio wants to not only put on a good show, they want to put on a spectacular show. Everywhere we look, we’re seeing signs of progress.” Morales noted most of the venues “are halfway complete to being nearly complete," though some are "still major concerns.” Lauer added, “With every Olympics the question is asked, ‘Will the host city be ready?’ Rio’s obstacles and challenges have dominated some of the headlines” (“Today,” NBC, 8/5).