:00:11. > :00:25.The times time has come. The games are upon us. And although trust in
:00:26. > :00:30.the truth of the Olympics may have wavered,
:00:31. > :00:32.there is a desire deep within us
:00:33. > :00:37.of sport, to rejoice in excellence, to praise effort and to gasp in awe
:00:38. > :00:40.Here on Mount Corcovado, the torch begins the final
:00:41. > :00:43.leg of its journey down there to the Marvellous City.
:00:44. > :00:50.as the sun rises on 16 days of wonder, now is the time for Rio and
:00:51. > :00:53.the Olympic movement to redeem themselves, for faith to be restored
:00:54. > :01:07.and for this great sporting carnival to begin. The rhythm of life,
:01:08. > :01:15.whoever you are, wherever you are, you have to go at your own pace,
:01:16. > :01:23.play to your own beat. But the life of an Olympian is different. It's
:01:24. > :01:30.all about timing. You can't go full pelt every day. Save it up, because
:01:31. > :01:38.this is a long term thing. A four year project. At the start, keep
:01:39. > :01:53.things simple. Metronomic discipline. Eat, sleep, train,
:01:54. > :02:04.repeat. Focus. Hypnotic. Then raise the tempo, bit by bit. Beat by beat.
:02:05. > :02:10.You're really building something now, building towards something.
:02:11. > :02:14.Quicker still, and it's tough to keep the pace. A cacophony of energy
:02:15. > :02:18.and emotion that grows and grows, faster and faster. Blink, and you'll
:02:19. > :02:33.miss it. It's all about stronger, faster,
:02:34. > :02:43.higher, muscles on fire, that two amplifier, pressures multiply. A
:02:44. > :02:46.frenzied blur of limbs masked an inner calm, because these
:02:47. > :02:51.performances are rehearsed over and over in body and mind. There are the
:02:52. > :02:57.best of times and the worst of times. Four years of preparation, a
:02:58. > :03:02.lifetime of sacrifice. So when the pressure is really on, that
:03:03. > :03:08.overwhelming calm and pension is broken, an explosion of action.
:03:09. > :03:15.Suddenly, it ends. But the beat goes on. For an Olympian, the rhythm of
:03:16. > :03:24.life is a little faster than normal. But whatever the tempo, it will be
:03:25. > :03:29.charming, enthralling, gripping. In a carnival of sport, that's the
:03:30. > :04:16.beauty, that everyone plays to their own beat.
:04:17. > :04:19.And that is the music that will be the soundtrack of these Games.
:04:20. > :04:22.We are live in Brazil, four hours behind you at home
:04:23. > :04:25.in the UK, and just less than four hours away from the start
:04:26. > :04:29.Rio was awarded the Games in 2009 and since then
:04:30. > :04:33.there's been controversies, political unrest and health concerns
:04:34. > :04:37.surrounding the country as it's prepared to host this huge event.
:04:38. > :04:40.But the venues are ready and it appears that Rio is too.
:04:41. > :04:43.This city of six million people gives South America its first
:04:44. > :04:46.Olympics, and for the next 16 days the focus will shift
:04:47. > :04:49.from the troubles of the preparation to the delivery of a Games
:04:50. > :05:01.28 sports, more than 10,000 athletes and 306 gold medals to be won.
:05:02. > :05:07.And it's wonderful as you make your way along Copacabana beach, two and
:05:08. > :05:11.a half miles of it, to see so many people actually playing sport. They
:05:12. > :05:15.have playing Beach Volleyball Arena, paddle tennis, they have been
:05:16. > :05:19.running. It is a place that looks to be active. They are fit and healthy
:05:20. > :05:23.people, very excited about the sport, and so are my guests.
:05:24. > :05:26.I have been joined by three familiar faces who have between them
:05:27. > :05:29.won 12 gold medals at Olympics, from Barcelona in 1992
:05:30. > :05:39.For Chris and Becky, how are you feeling about it as your first Games
:05:40. > :05:45.as spectators? Grow I am loving it, I'm not nervous! There was a moment
:05:46. > :05:49.of sadness with the realisation that your time in the sun has passed. But
:05:50. > :05:55.you can have a lot of fun when you are not competing. Michael, any
:05:56. > :05:59.advice on how to enjoy the Games? Take in everything you can. You will
:06:00. > :06:03.find it is a lot more enjoyable and a lot less stressful when you are
:06:04. > :06:06.not competing, and you can really take in the whole experience that is
:06:07. > :06:12.the Olympic Games. I was travelling down here with Chris, and he was
:06:13. > :06:18.going, I could cycle along here! You carried the torch. Yesterday, yeah.
:06:19. > :06:22.It was amazing, very different to London, different to the experience
:06:23. > :06:29.of Manchester. Not as big crowds as in London, but still fantastic. I
:06:30. > :06:35.almost lost my eyebrows here! It is a big flame. I think they turned the
:06:36. > :06:40.gas right up. I felt this heat in my face, but still in one piece. I hope
:06:41. > :06:46.you enjoy it. We are thrilled to have you as part of the team.
:06:47. > :06:50.Michael, we are going to talk about the problem the Games have had, but
:06:51. > :06:56.what do you think will be the defining image of Rio 2016? That
:06:57. > :07:03.will be determined over the next few days. We have had the opportunity
:07:04. > :07:07.for them to show that they can organise this thing in a way that
:07:08. > :07:11.will allow competitors to thrive on the track and in the pool and on the
:07:12. > :07:15.court and all of the different sports venues, and also allow
:07:16. > :07:24.spectators who have come to enjoy the Games to really enjoy them in a
:07:25. > :07:26.peaceful manner. It is chaos, organising and Olympic Games, so
:07:27. > :07:31.many people descending on one city. So it is all about how you organise
:07:32. > :07:38.that chaos. This is a difficult time. I am sure lots of people are
:07:39. > :07:43.on edge. Hopefully, they have prepared well enough over the last
:07:44. > :07:46.few days, because ordinarily, this preparation would have been taking
:07:47. > :07:53.place over months, but they have had issues with that, so a lot of
:07:54. > :07:57.preparation has taken place over the last few days in terms of security
:07:58. > :08:01.and bringing in the military and extra policemen and all of that. It
:08:02. > :08:06.is a little touch and go. So that will be determined over the next
:08:07. > :08:09.couple of weeks. There is a smell of fresh paint everywhere and
:08:10. > :08:12.last-minute changes being made, but once the day of competition in
:08:13. > :08:13.whichever venue comes, it will be ready.
:08:14. > :08:16.We are on until 10pm here on BBC One, and we'll set
:08:17. > :08:20.the scene for Games and highlight some of the stars to look out for.
:08:21. > :08:27.Rio is ready, but are the residents happy?
:08:28. > :08:34.We speak to the locals about the Games.
:08:35. > :08:40.Team GB are targeting at least 48 medals.
:08:41. > :08:56.We highlight who they are and when they compete.
:08:57. > :09:00.If you want to be an Olympian, it means plenty of weight on your
:09:01. > :09:02.shoulders. Usain Bolt is the fastest man
:09:03. > :09:04.of the planet. Can lightning strike
:09:05. > :09:07.for a third time? He is trying to do the triple
:09:08. > :09:11.triple. For some, just being here
:09:12. > :09:13.is a golden feeling, as Syrian refugee swimmer
:09:14. > :09:29.Yusra Mardini will tell us later. For the first time, there will be a
:09:30. > :09:32.team reflecting the refugees. I will tell you about that in a moment.
:09:33. > :09:35.That's all to come in the next 80 minutes, and later, at 11:40pm,
:09:36. > :09:42.And don't forget, you can join in the discussion
:09:43. > :09:45.during the whole Olympics, and of course we'd love you to send
:09:46. > :09:48.us your pictures and comments as you watch and enjoy the Games.
:09:49. > :09:50.And you can keep up to date with social media.
:09:51. > :09:53.All the details are on the screen now, and don't forget, the hashtag
:09:54. > :09:57.As Michael says, it is starting right now. It is organised chaos. We
:09:58. > :10:02.can only hope for the best! So far it's been a story of doom
:10:03. > :10:05.and gloom, as the Olympic movement has never been
:10:06. > :10:07.under so much pressure. Everywhere you look,
:10:08. > :10:09.there is criticism and controversy. Four-time Olympic gold medallist
:10:10. > :10:15.Matthew Pinsent reports. In every version of the Olympics,
:10:16. > :10:19.the build-up time is beset with problems. In the past, we have had
:10:20. > :10:24.sanctions, protests and unfinished venues. Let's not forget our own
:10:25. > :10:28.problems in London four years ago. But Rio de Janeiro has had a
:10:29. > :10:33.particular burden bear. So the question has to be asked - is this
:10:34. > :10:43.the most troubled Olympics of recent years?
:10:44. > :10:49.Some of these problems have been smaller than others. Some of them
:10:50. > :10:56.incredibly small, like ten millimetres. But what the mosquito
:10:57. > :11:00.lacks in size, it makes up for in impact. Despite being a very new
:11:01. > :11:05.disease, Zika has already affected over a million people here in Brazil
:11:06. > :11:10.alone, and with a risk of severe side effects to unborn children and
:11:11. > :11:16.expectant mothers, it certainly couldn't be ignored. In Europe, when
:11:17. > :11:23.we all heard about Zika, that was quite scary. What are the same in
:11:24. > :11:31.Rio? To be honest, no. Zika was not that big for us. The number of cases
:11:32. > :11:36.of Zika from January until July has gone down and down in Rio. Listen,
:11:37. > :11:40.I'm here. I haven't got it, I haven't seen anyone who has got it.
:11:41. > :11:45.We have thousands of people who have worked with us and I haven't heard
:11:46. > :11:50.of anyone reporting getting Zika. So I think we are OK. Did it surprise
:11:51. > :11:58.you when some golfers in particular stayed away because of Zika? Yes,
:11:59. > :12:02.because I think they are lying. They are not becoming because of the car,
:12:03. > :12:05.but because they have no interest. Regardless of the local perspective,
:12:06. > :12:09.the risk of contracting Zika was too great for some, and they have
:12:10. > :12:14.decided not to travel. However, for the thousands that have, there were
:12:15. > :12:18.more problems to face, including the conditions at the Olympic village
:12:19. > :12:21.where the Australians branded their quarters unliveable. And it isn't
:12:22. > :12:26.plain sailing with the venues either. Amongst the issues, high
:12:27. > :12:30.levels of pollution are still being recorded at outdoor aquatic venues,
:12:31. > :12:33.where British sailing and growing golds Scandi won. But the story that
:12:34. > :12:38.has dominated the headlines more than anything else in the run-up to
:12:39. > :12:43.these Games is the alleged state-sponsored doping programme in
:12:44. > :12:47.Russia that has led to one of the biggest controversies that the
:12:48. > :12:51.Olympics has ever faced. The international athletics Federation
:12:52. > :12:55.took the decision to ban any Russian track and field athlete, and this
:12:56. > :13:00.was backed by the International Olympic Committee. The IOC, though,
:13:01. > :13:04.didn't go as far as excluding the whole Russian team. Instead, that
:13:05. > :13:08.decision has been made on a case-by-case basis. It's an issue
:13:09. > :13:16.that President Thomas Bach has had to face when meeting the world's
:13:17. > :13:25.media here in Rio. You have come in for some criticism over the Russian
:13:26. > :13:31.situation. TRANSLATION: The Russian situation has exposed some division
:13:32. > :13:36.within the IOC. How damaging to the credibility of the Games is this
:13:37. > :13:40.confusion? I don't think that this will be damaging in the end, because
:13:41. > :13:45.people will realise we have to take this decision now. How do you think
:13:46. > :13:49.the International Olympic Committee have handled the Russian drug
:13:50. > :13:54.situation? I would say they have failed to answer properly to the
:13:55. > :13:59.real huge problem we are facing with respect to the whole anti-doping
:14:00. > :14:12.system globally. Is this the most compromised Olympics? I would say it
:14:13. > :14:17.is the biggest negative impact due to doping and corruption in sports,
:14:18. > :14:22.and the IOC failed to address it in the proper way. From tomorrow, the
:14:23. > :14:25.Games begin and we will all be deluged with the most amazing sport
:14:26. > :14:30.and performances to enjoy. What Rio and its inhabitants will hope is
:14:31. > :14:32.that all these problems in the next 17 days will be reduced to footnotes
:14:33. > :14:45.rather than headlines. If the American press the same, is
:14:46. > :14:52.it all, this is not ready? The world's press are focused on the
:14:53. > :14:58.doping scandal with Russia, and given that this was last's left to
:14:59. > :15:04.be last-minute, what will happen. That is what is the news, in terms
:15:05. > :15:08.of the games, and whether the Russians will be participating. No
:15:09. > :15:14.matter what performances we see here, and it is the Olympics, so you
:15:15. > :15:19.will always see a amazing performances, that is what is great
:15:20. > :15:23.about it, it does not matter what the scandal might be, or any of
:15:24. > :15:28.those things, it is fantastic once the competition starts, but no sort
:15:29. > :15:34.of amazing performances here will wipe away the problem that the IOC
:15:35. > :15:39.still faces. It will still exist, regardless of what happens here.
:15:40. > :15:47.Would you urge the IOC to absolutely address that on the day the Games
:15:48. > :15:52.finishes? That is a great idea. They are not going to do that, they will
:15:53. > :15:56.say, let's give ourselves a hand, this was amazing, and hope that it
:15:57. > :16:08.goes away, and maybe deal with it in the weeks after. But this will take
:16:09. > :16:13.the IOC, the IAAF, Wada, all of those organisations involved with
:16:14. > :16:19.keeping sport clean in the Olympic movement, it will take a series of
:16:20. > :16:23.correct moves, extreme transparency, and dealing with the situations as
:16:24. > :16:27.they come, there will be more positive tests, people trying to
:16:28. > :16:32.cheat, it is how the organisations deal with it, and they have to deal
:16:33. > :16:36.with it in the right way, make steps in the right direction, before you
:16:37. > :16:44.can re-establish consistency in terms of their ability in the
:16:45. > :16:47.Olympic movement. It feels as if it is a virus that has spread across
:16:48. > :16:52.all sports, Michael Phelps said he does not think swimming has ever
:16:53. > :16:58.been clean, he does not think he has ever competed in a clean sport. It
:16:59. > :17:01.is more than just Russia. Everybody is focused on Russia, but we have
:17:02. > :17:07.had people who service bands who are coming back for this Olympics that
:17:08. > :17:12.are not just from Russia. It must be so horrible as an athlete to stand
:17:13. > :17:16.up next to someone and think, I can't win. How awful for that
:17:17. > :17:20.athlete who has done all of those hours of being clean, pushing their
:17:21. > :17:27.body, to stand up at the Olympic Games and think that. But hopefully
:17:28. > :17:32.the British guys are just trying to see it as, whoever we have got to
:17:33. > :17:36.race, we have got to race. There are questions about people, so you just
:17:37. > :17:39.have to put it at the back of your mind, because if you are thinking,
:17:40. > :17:44.they have done drugs, you are focusing on them, not you.
:17:45. > :17:46.The British team hasn't been without its negative headlines,
:17:47. > :17:50.Lizzie Armitstead only just cleared by Court of Arbitration
:17:51. > :17:52.for Sport to compete here, having missed three drugs tests
:17:53. > :17:56.Our cycling reporter Jill Douglas was granted an interview
:17:57. > :18:06.It has not been the ideal preparation for an Olympic road
:18:07. > :18:14.race. How much of an impact as it had new? It has been a difficult
:18:15. > :18:18.time. I have kept it together, I have tried to keep it in
:18:19. > :18:24.perspective, and I have trained very hard, I have not let it slip. It is
:18:25. > :18:28.not ideal. It has been very emotional, a bit like a
:18:29. > :18:32.roller-coaster that I have not been able to get off, but I have kept it
:18:33. > :18:38.in perspective. I am grateful that I am here to race. People will be
:18:39. > :18:45.sceptical about you and your career. How does that make you feel?
:18:46. > :18:52.Devastated. Absolutely devastated. People are going to judgment, my
:18:53. > :19:04.family. I would never treat, not in any walk of life. -- cheat. People
:19:05. > :19:10.will think I am a cheat for the rest of my life. That is because of not
:19:11. > :19:14.taking a form. I don't want to make it sound trivial. It is a fight we
:19:15. > :19:19.have to take responsible to four, and I should take it higher anybody
:19:20. > :19:24.else. But something happened to me and my family that I could not
:19:25. > :19:29.control. That is more important to me than cycling. Do you think that
:19:30. > :19:35.this weekend gives you the chance to prove something to yourself and to
:19:36. > :19:39.others? No, because I am never going to win. If I win the race, people
:19:40. > :19:45.will say it is because of something else, and if I lose, people will say
:19:46. > :19:49.it is another reason. I am not at the point of accepting it yet, but I
:19:50. > :19:52.will have to accept that people will doubt me forever. It is about me and
:19:53. > :20:03.my family. On the verge of tears throughout
:20:04. > :20:08.that interview, she was the first medal winner for Great Britain of
:20:09. > :20:13.London 2012. Her race is on Sunday. How can she get into the state to
:20:14. > :20:22.race properly? I don't think she can. You think of the week she has
:20:23. > :20:28.had, we accept she is a clean athlete, people close to her do.
:20:29. > :20:34.There is no accusation that she has been cheating, maybe from the odd
:20:35. > :20:37.person, but the people that know her know she is clean, and to be branded
:20:38. > :20:41.a cheat is one of the worst things you can experience. She has to be
:20:42. > :20:46.the best she can, to focus on the race, deal with that and not think
:20:47. > :20:51.about the bigger issue, but you can see it, she is not in a great place.
:20:52. > :20:58.Is it sensible for her to be racing? The one thing that is odd, nobody
:20:59. > :21:04.said a word about it until she was cleared, so nobody knew. Some people
:21:05. > :21:07.within cycling must have known she had three tests, but it was kept
:21:08. > :21:15.under wraps. I did not hear about it. They must have made sure only
:21:16. > :21:18.very few people knew about it, presumably hoping they could sort it
:21:19. > :21:23.out knowing that she was not at fault, they could clear it and get
:21:24. > :21:27.on with the job, but it came out, and she is having to deal with the
:21:28. > :21:32.consequences. You have got to feel for her, but I wonder what the
:21:33. > :21:41.reaction is like. What have you gauged in terms of it? You are there
:21:42. > :21:47.in the Maracana, ready for the opening ceremony. Yes, it is the big
:21:48. > :21:50.night here. Going back to Lizzie Armitstead, it is inevitable that
:21:51. > :21:56.there is a degree of suspicion. She admitted that. That has been the
:21:57. > :22:01.case among some of her rivals. The woman she replaced as world
:22:02. > :22:07.champion, the French rider, she tweeted that the decision to scratch
:22:08. > :22:11.the first missed test, thereby allowing her appeal to succeed
:22:12. > :22:19.against a possible ban and allowing her to compete, was just shameful.
:22:20. > :22:23.The former rower Zac purchase ask the question, imagine the reaction
:22:24. > :22:26.if she was Russian. That is the problem with the Russian doping
:22:27. > :22:32.scandal that has dominated the build-up. Anything that occurs like
:22:33. > :22:37.this adds fuel to the fire. It will be fascinating to see what reaction
:22:38. > :22:44.she receives, if she does well on Sunday in the women's Road race.
:22:45. > :22:49.This will not be the last negative news in the build-up and during the
:22:50. > :22:54.Games, there will be more to do with doping over the weekend. But
:22:55. > :23:01.organisers will hope that tonight gets off well and the focus can
:23:02. > :23:04.shift to more positive news. In 16 days' time, what do you think Brazil
:23:05. > :23:12.needs to achieve, what do you think these Games need to have shown that
:23:13. > :23:15.would be regarded as its excess? This has been among the most
:23:16. > :23:20.troubled build-up to an Olympics perhaps in the history of this great
:23:21. > :23:25.spectacle, political unrest, recession, concerns over Zika and
:23:26. > :23:30.security and pollution. On top of that, the integrity of the sport
:23:31. > :23:35.itself is under question. The IOC will hope that there is no more
:23:36. > :23:40.doping story, or very few, that there are lots of inspirational
:23:41. > :23:45.sports stories for us to latch onto. But by allowing 271 Russian
:23:46. > :23:50.competitors to take part in the athletes' parade behind me later
:23:51. > :23:54.tonight, resisting those demands to ban the entire team after those
:23:55. > :23:59.allegations of state-sponsored doping, they have opened rifts
:24:00. > :24:07.within the Olympic family, Wilder at loggerheads with the IOC, and there
:24:08. > :24:12.will be a cloud of suspicion with every Russian success. But once the
:24:13. > :24:16.sport begins, and the excitement builds, and here in a city where
:24:17. > :24:20.there is no equal in terms of a backdrop, the hope will be that that
:24:21. > :24:22.takes over and the recovery can begin. But there are plenty of
:24:23. > :24:27.issues to sort out beyond these Games. There is still a fair amount
:24:28. > :24:35.of sunlight there, but it is getting dark behind us. It gets dark
:24:36. > :24:44.quickly. The sunsets, and it is darkness. There is a long sunset in
:24:45. > :24:45.some places, there is not via! Yes, everywhere in the world, it gets
:24:46. > :24:50.dark, but it does it very suddenly! The world hopefully will be watching
:24:51. > :24:52.wonderful sporting performances Their eyes will also be
:24:53. > :24:56.on this city of Rio, so how important are these Games
:24:57. > :25:28.to Rio and Brazil as a whole? It was the people that was born in
:25:29. > :25:35.rear the junior row. They like to enjoy the sun, the heat, the beach.
:25:36. > :25:41.We love having a good time, parties, and we love sport. That is it! The
:25:42. > :25:47.happiest people in the world. Official! We are really proud, and
:25:48. > :25:53.this is an opportunity to show that Brazil is a beautiful place that
:25:54. > :26:03.everybody can have a good time in. We are very excited to show the
:26:04. > :26:06.world what we can do. There is a big pressure, that is what makes us feel
:26:07. > :26:08.excited and anxious. We are not in a very good moment, but the spirit of
:26:09. > :26:16.the Olympic Games will reach all the people. Brazilians are resilient.
:26:17. > :26:24.The Olympic flame can be something that will ignite everyone. Brazil
:26:25. > :26:33.excels in difficulty. We like an opportunity to prove people wrong.
:26:34. > :26:45.It is the first Olympics in South America. The right place, because
:26:46. > :26:49.Rio has the party atmosphere up. It is the first Olympic Games in South
:26:50. > :26:55.America, but we hope in the future other countries can do the same. I
:26:56. > :27:01.am feeling real good now. It would be a good show, you will see a lot
:27:02. > :27:12.of excitement. A big party. I believe it will be a very special
:27:13. > :27:14.experience for all of the Brazilians. It will be an
:27:15. > :27:20.exceptional moment in our lives. People, where ever you are, welcome
:27:21. > :27:26.to Rio, it is a beautiful party. Welcome to Rio, welcome to Brazil,
:27:27. > :27:33.welcome to Copacabana, welcome to the Olympics.
:27:34. > :27:39.The Wellcome has been warm. Part of what made the spirit of London 2012
:27:40. > :27:44.were the volunteers, and the volunteers here are so much fun,
:27:45. > :27:46.singing and and sync and helping people out. You have been to Brazil
:27:47. > :27:54.before, what has been your impression? It is a wonderful place.
:27:55. > :27:59.I am down here a couple of times a year, my people that work here, they
:28:00. > :28:03.say it is fantastic, the people are amazing. It is a wonderful
:28:04. > :28:09.atmosphere. That is what the IOC had in mind when they boarded them the
:28:10. > :28:13.Olympics in 2009. We saw it in the World Cup a couple of years ago. It
:28:14. > :28:20.is an amazing place with amazing people. It has the makings of a
:28:21. > :28:24.fantastic fan experience. You look out there and you see people having
:28:25. > :28:31.fun and enjoying, and they love to welcome people to Brazil and show
:28:32. > :28:38.them the culture here. The problem is, before you get to all of that,
:28:39. > :28:40.it takes up that of organisation, and that is where they have fallen
:28:41. > :28:45.down. We hope it is a last-minute scramble and it will be perfect. It
:28:46. > :28:51.is also beautiful scenery, in terms of visual images, it might look
:28:52. > :28:55.better than any Olympics ever. You have the best position, it is
:28:56. > :28:58.incredible, but even yesterday, everywhere is breathtaking, you turn
:28:59. > :29:02.a corner and there is another beautiful beach. You are dying to
:29:03. > :29:09.run or cycle of these many mountains! It is the traffic, the
:29:10. > :29:13.bike is the perfect way of getting around, I was looking if I could
:29:14. > :29:17.cycle to the top of Christ the Redeemer. It is a bit steep! Don't
:29:18. > :29:23.cycle up Sugarloaf Mountain, it is not a good idea! Not even Chris
:29:24. > :29:28.Froome could! The other thing that will set the tone is whether people
:29:29. > :29:31.embrace them, whether fans come and watch. The fans' Park has been
:29:32. > :29:36.designed for people to come together. That is where we will
:29:37. > :29:45.hide, into the city. Good evening, I am in one of the
:29:46. > :29:49.Olympic fan zones. This beautiful area in the harbour-side Foster
:29:50. > :29:53.relic is just a few years ago, but it has been revitalised, banks to
:29:54. > :30:01.the Olympic Games. It is a gorgeous evening. I enjoyed by the BBC's Rio
:30:02. > :30:05.correspondent. I was here in 2014 for the World Cup, there was an air
:30:06. > :30:10.of tension, I don't get that feeling tonight.
:30:11. > :30:15.Things are festive now, but they were not in the past weeks and
:30:16. > :30:19.months. There was a very complicated period for Brazil. The country has a
:30:20. > :30:22.difficult situation with the political crisis and the president
:30:23. > :30:27.facing impeachment proceedings, a recession and on top of everything,
:30:28. > :30:35.concerns about the Zika virus. But now the Olympics are here and people
:30:36. > :30:41.are getting in the mood. There are a lot of troops on the road from
:30:42. > :30:48.Copacabana to this area. Are we likely to see the Games disrupted?
:30:49. > :30:53.Well, we do have groups protesting against the interim government and
:30:54. > :30:58.calling for President Dilma Rousseff, who has been suspended, to
:30:59. > :31:00.be reinstated. There were also questions about human rights
:31:01. > :31:04.violations in the run-up to the Games. But we have not seen big
:31:05. > :31:07.protests in the last few months and although people are angry for
:31:08. > :31:11.several reasons, I think they are disillusioned and there is not the
:31:12. > :31:14.energy to take to the streets. Now that all the investment has been
:31:15. > :31:18.made and the venues are ready and the athletes are here, people will
:31:19. > :31:22.want to enjoy the first Olympics in South America. And once the
:31:23. > :31:26.Brazilian gold medals start rolling in, people will get behind that
:31:27. > :31:34.country. How many medals does Brazil anticipate that they will win?
:31:35. > :31:38.Brazil has big goals for their first home Olympics. They want to be in
:31:39. > :31:40.the top ten, which would be their best result ever, but to do that
:31:41. > :31:44.they need to get about 30 medals, which is seen as a bit too
:31:45. > :31:49.ambitious, perhaps. Estimates go to around 22. Neymar was the poster boy
:31:50. > :31:55.of the World Cup, who is the face of the Brazilian Games? Lots are
:31:56. > :31:59.competing for that role. There is a judo athlete from the north of
:32:00. > :32:06.Brazil, a poor state. In London 2012, she got the first ever Olympic
:32:07. > :32:13.gold for Brazil in judo. She comes from a state that doesn't have
:32:14. > :32:18.strong traditions in sport. Brazil. Have a strong tradition in football
:32:19. > :32:24.and the other sports often go forgotten, so my best would be on
:32:25. > :32:27.her. As Julia mentioned, this country is obsessed with football.
:32:28. > :32:38.Look at these guys and the tricks they show it here. Back to you.
:32:39. > :32:45.Wow, that is really good! Exports here include handball, basketball
:32:46. > :32:48.and beach volleyball. That will be taking place here on Copacabana
:32:49. > :32:52.Beach. That will be one of the hottest tickets in town. That is
:32:53. > :32:57.chugged along mountain in the background. It is starting to get
:32:58. > :33:01.dark, but people are still in the city, which is cold! That is
:33:02. > :33:14.Sugarloaf Mountain in the background.
:33:15. > :33:17.In three hours' time an estimated global audience of over one billion
:33:18. > :33:21.And don't forget, live coverage is on BBC One from 11:40pm,
:33:22. > :33:24.with commentary from Hazel Irvine and Andrew Cotter.
:33:25. > :33:26.From 12:10pm tomorrow lunchtime on BBC One,
:33:27. > :33:29.action including rowing, women's rugby sevens, Great Britain
:33:30. > :33:48.BBC Four will have coverage for the whole Games,
:33:49. > :33:53.of all sports live on the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport App.
:33:54. > :33:56.So, from archery to weightlifting, you won't miss a thing.
:33:57. > :33:58.And also, don't forget to go to the Get Inspired section
:33:59. > :34:02.of the BBC Sport website to find out how you can take up any
:34:03. > :35:58.Well, they're fine athlete you saw there is the man who is sitting on
:35:59. > :36:03.the sofa now, Sir Chris Hoy, with Becky Adlington, one of the few
:36:04. > :36:07.women to have won two Olympic gold medals. There are a couple who could
:36:08. > :36:13.go to three or four over these Games, Charlotte Dujardin and Laura
:36:14. > :36:18.Trott. Chris Hoy, you have won more medals than anybody else, for Team
:36:19. > :36:24.GB in Olympic history. That is also a record that might go. Would you be
:36:25. > :36:28.happy if that happens? If it's going to go, it's good when it's a
:36:29. > :36:32.team-mate. It is lovely to have a record, but you know it will not
:36:33. > :36:38.last. Bradley is on seven medals already, but he has less golds. But
:36:39. > :36:43.he could get eight medals. And he could get a fifth gold. There are
:36:44. > :36:57.very few who can stand toe to toe with Bradley Wiggins, but Chris Hoy
:36:58. > :37:08.is one who can. Good to see you. Bradley Wiggins! I remember watching
:37:09. > :37:13.you in 1995 for the first time. You were a typical teenager, quite
:37:14. > :37:16.gangly, long arms, long legs, a little awkward, no offence. You got
:37:17. > :37:20.on the bike and everybody that Soyuz said, this kid is going somewhere.
:37:21. > :37:24.Did you think you were going to achieve what you achieved? It is
:37:25. > :37:29.easy to look back now and go, I always knew I would, but I had no
:37:30. > :37:33.other thought process at that time other than, I am going to the
:37:34. > :37:38.Olympics in 2000. I want to ride the Tour de France and win an Olympic
:37:39. > :37:41.gold and be a pro cyclist. It was either completely stupid or
:37:42. > :37:49.delusional. Fortunately, I have done that so it is easy to say now. I
:37:50. > :37:55.don't know what my mum was thinking. What was your experience in Sydney?
:37:56. > :38:00.That was mind-blowing. Even to this day, it gives me goose bumps. The
:38:01. > :38:06.bronze medal is going to go to Great Britain. I remember thinking, that's
:38:07. > :38:10.it. I'm 20 and I have got an Olympic medal. Whatever happens for the rest
:38:11. > :38:14.of my life, I can always say not just that I have been to the
:38:15. > :38:18.Olympics, but I have got an Olympic medal. I remember thinking, I know
:38:19. > :38:25.what I want to do for the next four years. Bradley Wiggins will be the
:38:26. > :38:29.4000 metre Olympic champion! I haven't cried since then at a track
:38:30. > :38:36.cycling competition, that is how emotional I was. You only get one
:38:37. > :38:49.shot every four years to do it. Beijing was the year for the
:38:50. > :38:55.British. I got one medal, chucked it in the draw. Then it was the team
:38:56. > :39:00.pursuit, sending. Then we lost it, and that is the leaving point, huge
:39:01. > :39:06.disappointment. You came away from the Olympics Root gold medals. How
:39:07. > :39:12.could you not have been elated? Because you won three! What are your
:39:13. > :39:16.main memories from 2012? The overriding memory is from that time
:39:17. > :39:19.trial in London. All year, I hadn't given any thought to the Olympic
:39:20. > :39:23.Games. I thought I would have to sacrifice them to win the Tour de
:39:24. > :39:40.France. Then ten days later, I went to the Olympic Games. I knew
:39:41. > :39:45.all I had to do was execute the ride I had done for the last three weeks.
:39:46. > :39:47.Here comes Wiggins, winner of the Tour de France. Bradley Wiggins is
:39:48. > :39:50.the Olympic champion! I said at the time, it is never going to get
:39:51. > :39:52.better. Dave said, calm down! For all those things to come together
:39:53. > :39:56.was incredible. Could you enjoy it afterwards, or was it to manic in
:39:57. > :40:02.the first few days and weeks? I enjoyed it. That first week, I had
:40:03. > :40:07.bodyguards. The Metropolitan Police followed me. I didn't get
:40:08. > :40:11.bodyguards. Chauffeur driven car. I was hanging out with rock stars.
:40:12. > :40:19.Then I thought I had better go home and get back to reality. I wanted it
:40:20. > :40:23.to stop. And I realised you couldn't turn it off. Subsequently, I had a
:40:24. > :40:29.massive dip that summer. I always wanted to come back to the track, so
:40:30. > :40:32.I started coming back 12 months on. Do you have the confidence you have
:40:33. > :40:38.after the World Championships in London, when you said you would bet
:40:39. > :40:42.your house on it? I do, I believe in the group. A man for man, I can't
:40:43. > :40:48.see anyone around the world that can beat my team. How much motivation is
:40:49. > :40:54.the thought of becoming the most decorated Olympian in Rio? That has
:40:55. > :40:57.never been a motivation for me. I always thought that five times
:40:58. > :41:05.Olympic champion is a nice number am better than six.
:41:06. > :41:10.It is the gold medal that really drives him. I think he is so rock
:41:11. > :41:15.'n' roll, Bradley Wiggins, so cool! He is too cool, I feel like I can't
:41:16. > :41:22.hang out with him! Chris can hang out with him. I'm not rock 'n' roll.
:41:23. > :41:27.While you strike the general observer as being quite different,
:41:28. > :41:31.you and Bradley, you are similar in character, in that the drive is
:41:32. > :41:38.similar. And for him to come back to the track, it is a big risk to take.
:41:39. > :41:46.Yes and no. I think it was the right move because he needed a change. He
:41:47. > :41:52.is clearly enjoying it. He is with his friends in an environment he
:41:53. > :41:57.thrives in. Obviously, it is the best thing to do. We will see when
:41:58. > :42:01.they get into the team pursuit. I believe they will win gold. You can
:42:02. > :42:04.see he is happy. When he was doing the Tour de France, with the world
:42:05. > :42:11.on his shoulders, he seems like the old Bradley we all know and love. He
:42:12. > :42:16.is very much a team man, the cycling team is very strong. It has been
:42:17. > :42:23.Britain's most successful sport in the last two Games. What do you
:42:24. > :42:30.think will happen this time? I think we will dominate. We would not have
:42:31. > :42:35.been saying that two years ago. We have had a tough four years, a big
:42:36. > :42:43.dip in form across the board. The only consistent performers have been
:42:44. > :42:48.Laura Trott, women's team pursuit. Now that I am outside the team I can
:42:49. > :42:53.say it, but I think they are going to win. Women's team pursuit, men's
:42:54. > :42:57.team pursuit. I think Jason Kenney could be the massive surprise of the
:42:58. > :43:05.Games. He could win three medals. You have got Mark Cavendish. Becky
:43:06. > :43:10.James is back. It is her first Olympics. She made it back from
:43:11. > :43:14.injury. She won a bronze medal at the World Championships in February.
:43:15. > :43:18.There are so many medal opportunities. They have been
:43:19. > :43:21.playing it down, but from what I have heard from the training camp,
:43:22. > :43:27.the performances have been outstanding. In the team pursuit,
:43:28. > :43:31.they have announced a world record in training. I am sure the
:43:32. > :43:35.Australians are going as quick. They haven't said anything about what
:43:36. > :43:38.they have been doing, but I think they should be confident that they
:43:39. > :43:42.are in the best shape they can be in. The rest will take care of
:43:43. > :43:48.itself. You can't control what your rivals are doing. But they have
:43:49. > :43:54.arrived here in the shape they want to be in. The other challenge is the
:43:55. > :43:59.velodrome itself. Is it going to be up to standard and does it matter?
:44:00. > :44:04.That is the last thing the riders will be thinking about. They know
:44:05. > :44:08.the track is 250 metres long. All they need to do is get on the track
:44:09. > :44:12.and do their job. It is more the media that will be worried over
:44:13. > :44:18.whether it is finished and what the paint is still wet. The track is
:44:19. > :44:23.essentially the same as London, Manchester, the same tracks they are
:44:24. > :44:27.used to riding on. The exciting thing for fans of cycling at home is
:44:28. > :44:33.that it will all be happening in peak time, British time, evenings at
:44:34. > :44:36.home. But before we get to the track, we have the road races.
:44:37. > :44:37.We talked about Lizzie Armitstead earlier.
:44:38. > :44:40.A big challenge for her to reset her mind, but will
:44:41. > :45:45.She will give it her best shot. It is a lot to expect from her, to be
:45:46. > :45:50.able to perform at the level we are used to seeing. It has been a hell
:45:51. > :46:24.of It it is going to come right past
:46:25. > :46:29.this studio, along Copacabana Beach. That is tomorrow afternoon from
:46:30. > :46:37.1.30. Chris has been very positive about the cycling team. Becky, what
:46:38. > :46:41.about the swimming team? We have two first timers in there who could win
:46:42. > :46:46.gold medals, Adam Peaty and James Guy. When you won your two gold
:46:47. > :46:50.medals in Beijing, it was your first Olympics. Can it help sometimes to
:46:51. > :46:57.come in and go, it's just the Olympics? It can. The difference
:46:58. > :46:59.with James Guy and Adam Peaty is that they are already World
:47:00. > :47:04.Championship medallists and Commonwealth Games medallists,
:47:05. > :47:10.whereas I was nothing. I had only been to one World Championships
:47:11. > :47:15.before. But these guys are so blase. The nicest two blokes you will ever
:47:16. > :47:18.meet. They have a heart of gold and they love their sport. They just
:47:19. > :47:23.want to have fun. They are keeping it simple and just wanting to swim
:47:24. > :47:29.their best. It is great for the swimming team. We have Hannah Miley
:47:30. > :47:34.in the pool as well as them guys. It is nice to get that ball rolling and
:47:35. > :47:41.gives the rest of the team a little list. That is what you need. And
:47:42. > :47:50.they are sharing a room, Adam and James. Adam Peaty is going in the
:47:51. > :47:54.100 metre breaststroke, which is Adrian Moorhouse's distance, and
:47:55. > :48:05.that is the last time a British man won gold in the pool, 1988. It is a
:48:06. > :48:08.long time. Although James Guy swims first 401st and 200 later, 200 is
:48:09. > :48:19.his stronger. So Adam could be the one. They also have Ross Murdoch. It
:48:20. > :48:23.is great that he and Adam are next to each other in the heats, of
:48:24. > :48:30.course being the first races up, it is a bit like you feel under
:48:31. > :48:35.pressure, that it is nice they are next to each other, it is that home
:48:36. > :48:40.comfort, a bit of normality, and they will push each other. The heats
:48:41. > :48:44.are happening later in the day than they would ordinarily. Is there a
:48:45. > :48:49.chance that Adam could break a world record before we even get to a
:48:50. > :48:55.semifinal? He wants to every time he gets in the Paul, that is what makes
:48:56. > :48:59.him so special. He has practised, he has always had Rio in his sight.
:49:00. > :49:04.Everybody else has thought about that meet, but he has swum fast
:49:05. > :49:09.through the rounds to make it through. That is how he likes to
:49:10. > :49:15.race, he wants to break the world record and have his hand on the wall
:49:16. > :49:18.first every time. It sends a signal to everybody else, he is going that
:49:19. > :49:24.fast? If you are going to adopt the Chris Hoy mentality saying anything
:49:25. > :49:28.because you are not in the team, how many medals did you think will come
:49:29. > :49:38.from British swimming? It is a bit more difficult, because there are so
:49:39. > :49:43.many athletes. But we have the capability of winning at least four
:49:44. > :49:48.or five medals. Whether we do is a different story, but we are capable.
:49:49. > :49:53.We have Adam, James Guy, Siobhan-Marie O'Connor, there are a
:49:54. > :49:59.lot of the new guys. She is focusing on 200 medley. You have a lot of
:50:00. > :50:04.guys who will come out of nowhere. Chloe Tutton has surprised everybody
:50:05. > :50:08.in the Paul, exactly like I did in Beijing. If she carries on, I do not
:50:09. > :50:14.see why she cannot get a medal either. Then you have got Fran
:50:15. > :50:18.Halsall, so many people, we have more depth. It is a smaller team
:50:19. > :50:23.than London, 26 athletes might compare to 40-something in London.
:50:24. > :50:29.We have changed the mentality. The swimming team have been a case of,
:50:30. > :50:35.my dream is to be here. Your dream should be getting a medal. The team
:50:36. > :50:39.are more focused on that. Absolutely. For swimming fans it is
:50:40. > :50:45.worth staying up late, the finals will happen quite a long time after
:50:46. > :50:50.midnight, but worth it, and a rerun will go out on BBC One the next
:50:51. > :50:56.morning. You can watch it all again. Michael Phelps will be a huge
:50:57. > :50:57.headline, he is returning, having retired, he is carrying the flag
:50:58. > :50:59.tonight for USA. In London, swimming and diving both
:51:00. > :51:02.took place in the same pool. Here in Rio, the diving
:51:03. > :51:07.is outdoors, and that means Tom Daley went to Beijing
:51:08. > :51:12.at 14, world champion Now 22 years old, he has
:51:13. > :51:23.grown up in front of us. Climbing the steps, I am visualising
:51:24. > :51:29.my dive and looking over the edge and thinking, it is a long way down.
:51:30. > :51:37.I have got to clear my mind of everything and think of the dive.
:51:38. > :51:45.You don't hear any noise. You hear your feet on the board and nothing
:51:46. > :52:02.else. In life, sometimes you need fear. So that you can face it. Good
:52:03. > :52:08.work, Tom. Incredible. Yes, get end, that's the one we wanted! That's the
:52:09. > :52:14.one we got! My whole world has changed. He has silenced his
:52:15. > :52:25.critics, it is a gold medal for Tom Daley. Bang on the money. It is all
:52:26. > :52:30.for you, Tom Daley! Amazing, he went to Beijing at 14,
:52:31. > :52:36.world champion at 15, he is still only 22. I can't get over it! He has
:52:37. > :52:38.been through so much, he has two macro shots at a medal.
:52:39. > :52:43.10m synchro with Dan Goodfellow and 10m on his own.
:52:44. > :52:53.The synchro is on Monday. I love how he stayed at that. It is so hard as
:52:54. > :52:59.an athlete to stay at your best and to stay up there constantly. He has
:53:00. > :53:04.never had a blip. He is so consistent and strong. What a role
:53:05. > :53:09.model. What he has done is fantastic. You can see it with
:53:10. > :53:15.certain people, their love and success spreads around the team. You
:53:16. > :53:23.can see it in the diving, because he is not the only chance, we have lots
:53:24. > :53:27.of good divers of. What he has done, from Little ones wanting to go
:53:28. > :53:31.diving, which would have never happened before, the whole team have
:53:32. > :53:36.embodied that, and it happens in swimming, it did with me, I am a
:53:37. > :53:41.goal from Mansfield, and that is what Tom has done. I would say that
:53:42. > :53:45.Chris, it was starting to happen before you came along, but you
:53:46. > :53:50.expanded it, Katherine Grainger has done it for rowing, you look at how
:53:51. > :53:58.many chances there are, it is seeing somebody, if they can do it... You
:53:59. > :54:02.saw Jason queerly. He inspired me. He was perceived to be a normal
:54:03. > :54:08.person, not some sort of Olympic gold. He was just Jason from
:54:09. > :54:14.Chorley. He won a gold medal in Sydney, I thought, maybe I can do
:54:15. > :54:19.it. It inspires you. It is amazing, not only is Tom consistent, he has
:54:20. > :54:26.dealt with the media interest, and he is a phenomenon, he is almost big
:54:27. > :54:29.about the sport. There will be a lot of people supporting him. He will
:54:30. > :54:35.compete in the Olympic Park, the biggest hub of the lot. That is the
:54:36. > :54:41.diving pool, it is very good. Water Polo will be there as well. You have
:54:42. > :54:48.gymnastics, the aquatic centre, tennis, and you have Mark Chapman!
:54:49. > :54:53.Thank you! Not quite as exciting as the events! It is quiet at the
:54:54. > :54:57.moment, people taking photos of. The Opening Ceremony is taking place at
:54:58. > :55:05.the Maracana, several calamitous away from here. -- kilometres. Sir
:55:06. > :55:13.Clive Woodward is with me. What are you doing here now? I am commenting
:55:14. > :55:17.on the rugby, the first time rugby sevens has been in the Olympics, so
:55:18. > :55:22.I am looking forward to that. I work for the IOC, I do talks, so I am
:55:23. > :55:27.doing bits and pieces. It is great to be here, an amazing venue. Let's
:55:28. > :55:35.talk about your experiences with the POA. We fund a lot of sports, they
:55:36. > :55:38.use the money to drill down into the minutiae, to make sure that no stone
:55:39. > :55:42.is left unturned in helping performance. That can happen in the
:55:43. > :55:48.four years leading up to the games, then you are at the mercy of the
:55:49. > :55:57.facilities provided. It is fair to say we are well funded, UK Sport do
:55:58. > :56:01.an amazing job. But in any sport, football, rugby, any Olympic sport,
:56:02. > :56:06.the last couple of days are key. In Beijing I was the director of sport
:56:07. > :56:09.for the team, I had been through two World Cups, I was pretty
:56:10. > :56:18.experienced, but the Olympic world blew me away. The complexities, and
:56:19. > :56:21.the distractions, because all of this preparation, if you get the
:56:22. > :56:27.last few days wrong, the village is key. I saw stuff that I went, my
:56:28. > :56:33.goodness, I could not imagine how this works. You have got to get it
:56:34. > :56:38.sorted out. We spent a lot of time before London doing more than normal
:56:39. > :56:44.to get rid of the distractions. People talk about the size of bets,
:56:45. > :56:46.but you said earlier that sometimes you negotiate with host cities to
:56:47. > :56:56.make sure you get countries either side of you that are similar to you.
:56:57. > :57:01.You do. We negotiated with the Chinese, because there are 15,000
:57:02. > :57:05.athletes, and your neighbours are important, so do try to get people
:57:06. > :57:09.of similar culture to you. I was there this afternoon, it was
:57:10. > :57:12.amazing, the Team GB house was great, but the Canadians are next to
:57:13. > :57:18.us, they are pretty similar in terms of their culture. That was an
:57:19. > :57:21.accident. Everybody tries to mix with the neighbours to make sure
:57:22. > :57:26.nothing goes on that would be a distraction. On the rugby sevens,
:57:27. > :57:32.the guys talked about how inspiring the Games are, and children can try
:57:33. > :57:40.sports, it is a big opportunity for rugby sevens. Massive. Rugby as a
:57:41. > :57:45.global sport. The rugby world does not understand the value of the
:57:46. > :57:48.currency of an Olympic gold medal. Rebecca and Chris Noakes, their
:57:49. > :57:54.sport is built around it. For rugby to join the Olympic family is
:57:55. > :57:57.colossal. I hope they will see what great athletes the rugby players
:57:58. > :58:04.are. I was with the men this morning, you see them in the gym,
:58:05. > :58:07.they are incredible athlete. Rugby has got an opportunity of being a
:58:08. > :58:13.big sport in the Olympic world. There is no doubt, kids watch this,
:58:14. > :58:17.parents watch this, I hope everybody will watch the rugby sevens and say,
:58:18. > :58:24.this is the sport I want my kids to play. A massive opportunity, no
:58:25. > :58:29.doubt about that. Well done on concentrating on your answer while
:58:30. > :58:33.they are playing a German version of Katy Perry here! High hopes for men
:58:34. > :00:08.and women in the rugby sevens, as we do for all of Team GB.
:00:09. > :00:14.It's an exciting to have so many ones to watch, not like it is just
:00:15. > :00:18.one or two teams, not like the days when you had to rely on only Sir
:00:19. > :00:30.Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent to win a gold medal. It is beautiful
:00:31. > :00:38.out there, despite the fact that it is getting dark. There are people
:00:39. > :00:43.fishing. Just like being at home(!). What have been your first
:00:44. > :00:49.impressions? I got here on Tuesday. And I was here three years ago, so I
:00:50. > :00:55.knew the layout of the city. It is a good feeling. There isn't as much
:00:56. > :00:59.colour around as past games, but I don't have an issue with that. I
:01:00. > :01:03.think the money is being spent in the right way. If you are coming
:01:04. > :01:07.from a poor country and there are issues in the country, having flags
:01:08. > :01:14.everywhere that cost a hell of a lot of money to put up -- not having
:01:15. > :01:17.those flags is a good thing. We will talk about the rowing venue, which
:01:18. > :01:22.is sensational to look at, in a moment. But you only get the chance
:01:23. > :01:26.to be an Olympic champion every four years.
:01:27. > :01:28.Former Olympian and author Matthew Syed takes a look
:01:29. > :01:38.at the unique timeline of the Olympiad.
:01:39. > :01:49.Four years, 208 weeks, 126,144,000 seconds. That is the time period,
:01:50. > :01:55.the defining time period that articulates both the peril and the
:01:56. > :01:59.privilege of being an Olympian. The thing that got me into cycling was
:02:00. > :02:03.the dream of being able to go to the Olympic Games and compete for Great
:02:04. > :02:08.Britain. Every year that you do, every day you train is for the
:02:09. > :02:14.Olympics. It's going to be challenging and tough, but it's what
:02:15. > :02:19.you live for. This creates the specs. One tiny error on the grand
:02:20. > :02:25.stage, and you have to wait four years to correct it. The defending
:02:26. > :02:29.champion, thrown out for two false starts. Sometimes, you never get a
:02:30. > :02:34.chance to correct it. I never hit the wall we talk about in the
:02:35. > :02:39.marathon, but I hid it in Athens, unfortunately. It took a long time
:02:40. > :02:44.to mentally and physically get back. You get one shot to get it right in
:02:45. > :02:48.four years. You always think, this could be my last chance to win an
:02:49. > :02:53.Olympic gold. You could be known for the rest of your life as an
:02:54. > :02:56.Olympian, and that means something. The Olympic Games is not
:02:57. > :03:05.fundamentally about what happens in the spotlight, it's the stuff we
:03:06. > :03:08.never see at the training bases, the altitude camps, the 5:30am on a
:03:09. > :03:11.frosty morning in February when all you want to do is stay in bed. If
:03:12. > :03:14.you have a life when you're preparing for the Olympics, you're
:03:15. > :03:19.not doing it right. It's so hard to train and go up and down that black
:03:20. > :03:24.line 400 times in one day. I get up savagely early every morning and we
:03:25. > :03:28.flog ourselves up and down his leg. These are not things I enjoy in a
:03:29. > :03:33.masochistic way, this is the price of success. What looks like an awful
:03:34. > :03:37.way to live your life is normal for us. That routine is part of how they
:03:38. > :03:42.live their life and therefore, you just get on with it. Once you get
:03:43. > :03:51.that feeling of being on a podium, you're just like, I want that you
:03:52. > :03:57.work. Even if you're tired, you go for a run. You have to sustain your
:03:58. > :04:00.motivation for four years. You have to make sacrifices and make
:04:01. > :04:07.strangers of your family for four years. My life has essentially been
:04:08. > :04:12.overtaken by a long jumper. Greg missed our first scan. He almost
:04:13. > :04:18.missed my low's first birthday. He does miss out on a lot, and I think
:04:19. > :04:23.it's tough for him because, being a daddy 's more important than being
:04:24. > :04:26.an athlete to him. As a mum, it's hard to fully switch off from
:04:27. > :04:31.thinking about your child. If I didn't put 100% in and was just
:04:32. > :04:37.wasting time, it would be awful. I need to know I am doing this for
:04:38. > :04:43.good reasons and he will be able to look back and think, wow. On the
:04:44. > :04:48.stage itself, the psychological danger flips. The problem now is not
:04:49. > :04:53.motivation, but fear. You want to perform so much that you become
:04:54. > :04:59.paranoid that you weren't. The key to being successful in that moment
:05:00. > :05:04.is being able to manage your emotions, to be able to maintain a
:05:05. > :05:11.sense of calm and being present. Now has to look like I know what I'm
:05:12. > :05:14.doing, I'm in control. I love that adrenaline. I love the fact that
:05:15. > :05:19.when I walk into the velodrome, I realise that this is happening, and
:05:20. > :05:25.just that emotional feeling, I know I am so ready for that moment. There
:05:26. > :05:30.is an essential cruelty in sport, the juxtaposition of the dreams and
:05:31. > :05:35.sacrifices of so many, but the top of the podium is reserved for just
:05:36. > :05:39.one. There is a cruelty too in that after an epic journey measured in
:05:40. > :05:47.years, success and failure are measured in fractions. 1.8 seconds
:05:48. > :05:52.is how long it takes to do one died. All six of my dives are over faster
:05:53. > :05:56.than Usain Bolt's race it is not just starting at the bottom and
:05:57. > :06:00.suddenly finding yourself on the top of the podium. It takes so many
:06:01. > :06:04.setbacks and injuries and moments where you question whether you want
:06:05. > :06:07.to continue doing your sport to get you to that point. That is what
:06:08. > :06:14.makes it sweeter when you achieve it. Ultimately, it's how we deal
:06:15. > :06:21.with the setbacks, how we deal with the consequences of losing and
:06:22. > :06:27.winning that make us who we are. I suppose for a lot of athletes,
:06:28. > :06:32.they have almost got to play the sport or run the race or hit the
:06:33. > :06:38.ball, but not play the Olympics, do you know what I mean, Michael? The
:06:39. > :06:44.Olympics can put you off track. Yeah. It's a delicate balance. You
:06:45. > :06:50.get to the Olympic Games, what you have always wanted as an athlete.
:06:51. > :06:55.Now the opportunity is there. You have to understand that, but also
:06:56. > :06:58.balance it with, it if I got to this point, I have obviously been doing
:06:59. > :07:02.something right. And you can't abandon that, so you want to produce
:07:03. > :07:08.your best performance, but you can't abandon what you have been doing. It
:07:09. > :07:12.is a delicate balance. I don't think many of the athletes who have the
:07:13. > :07:18.opportunity to win medals are distracted by the spectacle of the
:07:19. > :07:25.Olympics. Most athletes and their coaches will have prepared to come
:07:26. > :07:29.here and focus on the objective. It is the balance of understanding the
:07:30. > :07:33.opportunity you have and that you will need to produce your best
:07:34. > :07:38.performance, but not abandoning what you have been doing. Steve, we saw
:07:39. > :07:43.in the documentary 's leading up to your later Olympics how hard the
:07:44. > :07:48.training is, how much it hurts, how difficult it is to be motivated to
:07:49. > :07:52.do that every day. They don't hand out Olympic gold medals for nothing.
:07:53. > :07:57.I have never met anybody within sport that hasn't trained harder
:07:58. > :07:58.than anybody else to win. You have to put that sacrifice in. Michael is
:07:59. > :08:11.right. Now, the athletes are better
:08:12. > :08:17.prepared for their first time coming to the Games than when I started.
:08:18. > :08:22.The whole process is bigger. So you know more about it before you get
:08:23. > :08:27.here for the first time. It's not as unusual to perform well in your
:08:28. > :08:32.first Games. You still perform better in your second Games than in
:08:33. > :08:36.your first. Team GB's first gold medal of 2012 came from rowing from
:08:37. > :08:43.Heather Glover and Helen stunning, but they have a different rowing
:08:44. > :08:47.venue this time. Beautiful, but very wide. Normally when you look at a
:08:48. > :08:51.rowing venue, it's like a big, long swimming pool. But here, it's a
:08:52. > :08:56.massive open lagoon. Down the bottom, you have Christ the Redeemer
:08:57. > :09:01.looking over it. But because it is so wide, if there are wave issue?
:09:02. > :09:06.Could the weather be a problem? It's almost in the shape of a boot. And
:09:07. > :09:10.the toe of the boot is pointing towards Copacabana Beach. If the
:09:11. > :09:16.wind picks up from that direction, you will get this across chop.
:09:17. > :09:19.Because it's wide, it probably makes it there for everybody. Everyone
:09:20. > :09:24.will get similar waves, but it will not be pleasant. Two watersports,
:09:25. > :09:29.one with sailing and one with rowing. One likes flat water, the
:09:30. > :09:35.other likes win. They are within a mile of each other, so somebody is
:09:36. > :09:40.going to be disappointed. In terms of medal projections, Chris Hoy was
:09:41. > :09:45.very positive. I thought Becky was pretty upbeat about the swimmers as
:09:46. > :09:53.well. How are you feeling about the rowing? Pretty good. There are 14
:09:54. > :09:57.rowing events. We have 12 that have qualified. Our weakest boats are the
:09:58. > :10:06.men's single reigning bronze medallist at the Olympic Games and
:10:07. > :10:10.the women's double sculls. Those are our weaker boats. So when you look
:10:11. > :10:17.at that, there is an argument that they could all win a medal. It will
:10:18. > :10:23.not happen like that, but certainly two golds, men's four and women's
:10:24. > :10:33.pair. Men's eight are going really well in training. And the field is
:10:34. > :10:38.wide open. The Dutch are going in as favourites, but you can knock off
:10:39. > :10:42.the Germans. They are not performing well. There is a good outside chance
:10:43. > :10:47.for a gold medal there. Lightweight women's double have not performed at
:10:48. > :10:53.all this year. Fastest time ever last year. Got a silver medal at the
:10:54. > :11:00.World Championships. One of them is a reigning Olympic champion. That is
:11:01. > :11:04.Cap Copeland. -- Katherine Copeland. And you have put me on the spot
:11:05. > :11:14.about the other one. Charlotte Taylor, I got some help! Yes. They
:11:15. > :11:18.have got the capability. This year has been awful for them, but they
:11:19. > :11:23.are going better. It wouldn't surprise anybody if they won a
:11:24. > :11:29.medal, and the medal could be a gold one. The safe prediction would be
:11:30. > :11:35.James Cracknell, five medals. I am saying six or seven. And it could be
:11:36. > :11:39.the first ever medal for a British women's eight, because they have
:11:40. > :11:42.been going well. We have heard news. Greek athlete has tested positive
:11:43. > :11:46.for a banned substance and has been expelled from the games. We have not
:11:47. > :11:50.been told which sport yet or the gender of the athlete, but a Greek
:11:51. > :11:54.athlete has been thrown out of the Games before they have even begun.
:11:55. > :11:59.We have coverage of the opening ceremony coming up from 11.35
:12:00. > :12:02.tonight, and the opening ceremony will include within it a team that
:12:03. > :12:09.has never been seen before at an Olympic Games. They will be carrying
:12:10. > :12:12.the Olympic flag. If they reach podiums, they will have the Olympic
:12:13. > :12:16.anthem as their anthem. They are the refugee team of ten athletes. It is
:12:17. > :12:21.an initiative that has been produced by the IOC to reflect the changing
:12:22. > :12:27.nature of the world today. It includes a Syrian swimmer, Yusra
:12:28. > :12:30.Mardini, who left her country because of serious problems in
:12:31. > :12:32.Syria, a war-torn country. Little did she know that 12 months later,
:12:33. > :12:49.she would be here as an Olympian. Swimming for me is the most
:12:50. > :12:53.important thing in my life. When you're in the water, you don't think
:12:54. > :13:03.about anything. It's a completely different world. When I had a normal
:13:04. > :13:10.life in Syria, I had school, training, gymnastics and a lot of
:13:11. > :13:17.friends. What happened was four years of war. We couldn't take it
:13:18. > :13:25.any more. The streets are dangerous. There was bombing. Me and my sister
:13:26. > :13:30.decided to travel. Of course we were scared, but we have to try. Maybe
:13:31. > :13:37.I'm going to die on the way, but I am almost dead in my country. We had
:13:38. > :13:41.four date in jungles, no water, no food. Then smugglers were like, I'm
:13:42. > :13:47.going to get you on the boat. After that, the smugglers put 20 people in
:13:48. > :13:56.one boat. After 15 or 30 minutes, the motor stopped. I was thinking
:13:57. > :14:00.about me and my sister. We said it would be a shame to die in the water
:14:01. > :14:07.when we are swimmers. My life was passing through my eyes. When we
:14:08. > :14:13.arrived in Greece, I arrived in a T-shirt, jeans and not even shoes.
:14:14. > :14:17.People in Germany told us what to do, you have to take this way. Of
:14:18. > :14:25.course we were scared. They put you on a register, camping. I just knew
:14:26. > :14:34.my trip was over, and I am in peace. That is it. In the camp, there was a
:14:35. > :14:38.really nice man who was a translator. I told him I am a
:14:39. > :14:43.swimmer and he was like, really? You are a good swimmer? I was like, I
:14:44. > :14:47.swear, just find me a good club. In the club, they helped us. They make
:14:48. > :14:52.you feel like it's your second family, but it will never be like my
:14:53. > :14:57.home country. But it's amazing. I got an e-mail that I'm going to the
:14:58. > :15:01.Olympics in the team of refugees, and it's like a dream come true,
:15:02. > :15:07.because the Olympics is everything. I would be really proud to be in
:15:08. > :15:12.this team, because all of them are special people.
:15:13. > :15:14.Yusra swims in the 100m butterfly tomorrow and then the 100m
:15:15. > :15:19.We'll catch up with her progress and all of Team Refugee as the Games
:15:20. > :15:21.go on, and we wish them all great success.
:15:22. > :15:23.Tonight, the refugees will march into the Maracana Stadium second
:15:24. > :15:25.to last, with hosts Brazil the final country to enter.
:15:26. > :15:29.And as for the opening ceremony, well, it will have a lot to live up
:15:30. > :15:31.to after London's incredible start four years ago.
:15:32. > :15:34.So, to get us in the mood, here's a quick reminder of Danny
:15:35. > :15:51.To everyone in every city and village in the world watching as we
:15:52. > :16:18.begin, welcome to London. I'd the Olympics rinks together what
:16:19. > :16:20.is best about mankind. There is a truth to sport, a purity, a drama,
:16:21. > :16:33.and intensity. A spirit that makes it irresistible
:16:34. > :16:47.to take part in and irresistible to watch.
:16:48. > :17:02.London 2012 will inspire a generation.
:17:03. > :17:09.Every time I think about it, it makes me smile. It was four years
:17:10. > :17:17.ago, it was so good. There is no point comparing Rio to London, just
:17:18. > :17:20.like we should not have compared London to Beijing, but we will see
:17:21. > :17:23.the Opening Ceremony tonight in the Maracana.
:17:24. > :17:25.Hazel Irvine will be describing proceedings alongside Andrew Cotter
:17:26. > :17:28.Hazel, you've seen some of the rehearsals, can you give
:17:29. > :17:42.Following what you said about London, their Danny Boyle is an
:17:43. > :17:48.Italian, the creative brain. He said after being asked, how will you
:17:49. > :17:53.follow Danny Boyle, he said, we are not obliged to throw our president
:17:54. > :17:58.out of a helicopter. But given the political difficulties, that may be
:17:59. > :18:03.a moot point. He has half of the budget, he says it would not be a
:18:04. > :18:07.great idea for Brazil to put on an opulent show. One of his creative
:18:08. > :18:12.directors was asked to describe the last three summer ceremonies, they
:18:13. > :18:16.said Beijing was muscular, London Wasps smart, they said there is will
:18:17. > :18:20.be called, and I would have to agree. It sticks to it well
:18:21. > :18:27.conceived themes of being kind to the environment, that is a heavy
:18:28. > :18:32.theme, and also bringing together and making the most of what you have
:18:33. > :18:37.got, that is a strong theme. You will have a lot of that. It is not
:18:38. > :18:43.preaching, it is modest and understated, but it does convey
:18:44. > :18:49.their absolute great joy in carnival, love, music and dance and
:18:50. > :18:54.theatre. And the effortless, Serena, sensuous curves of the beach-front
:18:55. > :19:00.city. It has got the lot in a very understated way, and it is probably
:19:01. > :19:06.a less carbon emitting ceremony, and that is a hint of things to come. I
:19:07. > :19:12.like that as a hint. I have heard that Dame Judi Dench, the coolest of
:19:13. > :19:20.all classical actors, will be involved? Yes, she is, in a
:19:21. > :19:25.voice-over. I don't think I can tell you much more than that. But it is a
:19:26. > :19:29.significant part, and she performs a significant role in one of the
:19:30. > :19:34.recurring and persistent themes of the ceremony. As to who will light
:19:35. > :19:39.the cauldron, there is a divide, will it be Palais? We know he is
:19:40. > :19:43.struggling physically, walking with a cane, but the man who has played
:19:44. > :19:51.such a big party over the last 60 years has got to be a popular choice
:19:52. > :19:56.-- Pele. He has said he will not be able to attend the Opening Ceremony.
:19:57. > :20:02.Whether he is doing that as a smoke screen, we don't know. We will find
:20:03. > :20:05.out. If he is there, you would have to think he will light the cauldron.
:20:06. > :20:07.At the ceremony, 207 nations and territories
:20:08. > :20:09.will be in attendance, with the athletes no doubt
:20:10. > :20:15.In a moment we'll hear from a man who knows all about delivering
:20:16. > :21:28.That's after we've highlighted more of Team GB's medal hopefuls.
:21:29. > :21:34.There are so many strong contenders for gold medals amongst the British
:21:35. > :21:40.team, but when all is said and done, there is one superstar, Hazel
:21:41. > :21:45.mentioned the ceremony being called, there are three types of metal
:21:46. > :22:19.music, it will be played for this guy. -- medal music.
:22:20. > :22:27.Usain Bolt away from the field. It is gold for Usain Bolt! He has done
:22:28. > :22:35.it again! He is going to do it again!
:22:36. > :22:39.One man on the sofa knows what it is like to come to his third Olympic
:22:40. > :22:45.Games of the face of the games. Is the pressure enjoyable? It depends
:22:46. > :22:51.on the athlete. I have spoken to him about that, he enjoys the pressure.
:22:52. > :22:55.He loves being the favourite. That was the same way that I felt, but
:22:56. > :23:01.some athletes would rather not be the favourite. They would prefer to
:23:02. > :23:08.sneak up on someone and have the attention on someone else. But he
:23:09. > :23:12.handles the pressure very well. He is one of the few athletes who
:23:13. > :23:16.really understands how to get the best from himself and put himself in
:23:17. > :23:20.the best addition to have his best performance when it counts. He is
:23:21. > :23:25.creating so much excitement, he has posted pictures of himself taking
:23:26. > :23:28.the train, posing with athletes, he is a superstar.
:23:29. > :23:31.The target for GB's track and field is seven to nine medals,
:23:32. > :23:35.and who knows, it could be gold and silver for two women
:23:36. > :23:38.Probably not since the days of Coe, Ovett and Cram have we seen British
:23:39. > :23:52.Every year is towards the Olympics. As a young athlete, everybody wants
:23:53. > :23:57.to be an Olympic champion. If you can get it right, it is the most
:23:58. > :24:01.amazing moment of your life. The pride of Sheffield, the pride of
:24:02. > :24:09.Great Britain, Jessica Ennis is the Olympic champion. After she won, I
:24:10. > :24:13.was inspired. I knew that is what I wanted to do. Katarina
:24:14. > :24:22.Johnson-Thompson has had three fouls. It is the end of her World
:24:23. > :24:31.Championship. I am glad it happened. It changed me. I definitely
:24:32. > :24:35.underestimated how hard it would be, coming back from having your first
:24:36. > :24:44.child. Jessica Ennis-Hill is back on top of the world. My target is
:24:45. > :24:50.Olympic Golf Course. -- and Olympic gold-medal. This is my last
:24:51. > :24:55.Olympics, I will give it everything. I think I am capable of doing it. I
:24:56. > :25:04.would love to defend my title and see what the future holds.
:25:05. > :25:08.Really interesting. Jess knows she can do it, Katarina Johnson-Thompson
:25:09. > :25:14.thinks she might be able to do it. Very different situations.
:25:15. > :25:19.Advantageous situations for who they are and how they are positioned,
:25:20. > :25:27.Jess relishes the pressure, she performs best under pressure, and
:25:28. > :25:30.she is the defending champion and world champion, the focus will be on
:25:31. > :25:36.her, and she performs well in that situation. Katarina Johnson-Thompson
:25:37. > :25:42.has struggled under pressure. With all of the attention on Jess, and
:25:43. > :25:48.having learned from the World Championships, when she crashed out,
:25:49. > :25:52.she learned from that. It will be tough for her, she still has to
:25:53. > :25:59.learn to produce a series of really good, strong performances on the
:26:00. > :26:02.grand stage. It will be a fabulous competition to watch, over two days,
:26:03. > :26:09.the climax is on the middle Saturday, we have the same Super
:26:10. > :26:15.Saturday trio together. A* to watch out for, you will be the Superstock
:26:16. > :26:20.of the Ring world? -- the Superstock of the ring world? The ones that
:26:21. > :26:26.have been there for a long time is the kiwi pair. You might as well
:26:27. > :26:34.give them the medal now. I would put my house on them winning. That is
:26:35. > :26:37.firm! The Olympics is about all of the nations.
:26:38. > :26:40.Thank you, Michael, Sir Steve and to all our guests tonight,
:26:41. > :26:46.And I hope you'll come back and join us at 11:40pm here on BBC One