Away from the competitions, Rio 2016's Olympians are taking the opportunity to get to know the Marvellous City
Want to see the stars of Rio 2016 up close? The events at the Olympic Parks in Barra and Deodoro, as well as venues elsewhere in the city, might not be your only chance – many of the 11,000+ athletes at the Games can be spotted taking in the sights around the carioca capital, from Copacabana to the Corcovado. Other hotspots are the Sugarloaf mountain, and bohemian nightspot Lapa.
American athlete Morghan King, who finished sixth in her weighlifting event, has been spending her free time on Copacabana and Ipanema beaches – and posting the proof on Instagram. On Monday afternoon, British boxer Joe Cordina took a trip up the Corcovado to see the Christ the Redeemer statue, and praised Brazil as the most beautiful country he had visited. European lightweight champion Cordina missed out on the chance to medal at Rio 2016 after being defeated by Uzbekistan's Hurshid Tojibae. His consolation prize? More free time to explore Rio. Around the same time seven kilometres away, Cody Miller was at the Sugarloaf taking photos with other members of the American swimming team.
He took the opportunity to capture the beautiful Rio landscape and unwind after claiming gold and a new world record alongside his team-mates in the 4x100m medley relay. The Russian handball team had two days free during the competition and like many visitors, decided to visit Christ the Redeemer and the Sugarloaf.
"I'm happy!" wrote Polina Kuznetsova, posting a photo on the beach. The only challenge the Russian team faced was getting to grips with the unfamiliar place names. But the important thing is that handball player Anna Petrenko (also known as Anna Sen) enjoyed her time on 'Capocabanana' beach! Canadian canoe sprint pair KC Fraser and Genevieve Orton also made it to Copacabana, in their case three days ahead of their final, which took place on Tuesday (16 August).
'Calm before the storm', indeed... The US men's basketball team visited Ipanema beach this week, throwing an oval-shaped ball around for a change. Their counterparts on the women's team decided to mix things up a little more and explore Rio's lively Lapa neighbourhood, posting a shot on the iconic Selaron staircase.