Location:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Opening:
Home team:
Brazil national team, Flamengo, Fluminense
Field dimensions:
Capacity:
Once the largest stadium in the world is located in the most beautiful of its corners. "Maracana" is covered with legends, it is a kind of Mecca of football.
The emergence of "Maracana" and the 1950 World Cup
The first post-war World Cup went to Brazil almost without alternatives, because even before World War II, FIFA promised the Brazilians a tournament of this level. In addition, the country's application was supported by the intention to build the world's largest stadium with 200,000 seats in the capital of Brazil.
The project of such a hulk was criticized by some local officials, but was nevertheless put into practice. The journalist and writer Mario Filho, whose name will forever go down in the history of the stadium, contributed a lot to this.
Mario Filho was an ardent football fan, supported Fluminense, and after his death in 1966, the stadium was renamed in his honor. So officially "Maracana" is called Estadio Jornalista Mario Filho.
The architects of the project are Rafael Galvão, Pedro Bastos, Orlando Azevedo, António Carneiro, Miguel Feldman, Valdir Ramos and Oscar Valdetaru.
Construction began less than two years before the start of the World Cup - August 2, 1948. The location was chosen near historical center cities.
The name of the stadium was given by the name of the river flowing here, and the stadium itself subsequently gave the name to the whole area of Rio. Interestingly, the very word "maracana" came from the language of the Indians who inhabited the region. They called them the parrots that lived here.
Initially, about 1,500 workers were involved in the construction site, and closer to the start of the tournament, almost twice as many. The arena was never fully completed for the 1950 World Cup, but it could host matches.
The stadium had a roof fixed on consoles, a moat with water separated the field from the stands. Subsequently, an indoor building was built next to the Maracana. gym"Maracanzinho".
The first game on the "Maracana" (emphasis on the last syllable) took place on June 16, 1950 - the teams of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro met. The victory went to the visiting team, but the first goal at the new stadium was scored by the representative of the hosts - a future legend brazilian football Didi. The Maracana was completed in full only by 1965.
The Brazilian national team started the World Cup with a 4-0 victory over the Mexicans and subsequently won their group almost without problems.
It is worth noting that due to the refusal of many teams to come to Brazil, the tournament scheme looked rather strange. thirteen members final tournament formed four groups - two groups of four teams, one of three teams and one of two. The group winners formed the final quartet, which was supposed to determine the strongest team on the planet.
Uruguay was the luckiest of all, falling into a group of two teams, and which only needed one victory over the Bolivians to participate in the final matches. Also there were the national teams of Spain and Sweden.
Brazil was seen as the champion, both before the tournament and during it in particular. The number of spectators at the Maracana grew from match to match. After two impressive body clearances by the Spaniards and the Swedes in the final group, literally everyone proclaimed the winners of the championship. Newspapers were full of victorious headlines, and the players were already beginning to be honored. The match with Uruguay was considered a mere formality, because the opponent was satisfied only with a victory. Uruguay managed to lose points with Spain and at the very end put the squeeze on Sweden.
Officially, 173,830 tickets were sold for the game, but the total number of those who entered the stadium significantly exceeded this figure - from 199 to 210 thousand people! Just unbelieveble!
Brazil attacked from the very beginning of the match, but Uruguay defended well and the first half went without goals. Already in the debut of the second half, the striker of the hosts Frias opened the scoring. It seemed the job was done. The captain of Uruguay Obdulio Varela began to argue with the referee, which took a lot of time. As he himself later admitted, he did this in order to take a break and bring down the attacking fervor of the Brazilians. Under the whistle of the stands and indignant glances brazilian football players the game has been restarted.
Brazil continued to attack, but 20 minutes later Schiaffino equalized. Anxiety filled the hearts of the Brazilian fans, and the great captain of the Uruguayan squad, Varela, led his team to victory.
11 minutes before the end of the match, something irreparable happened.
The author of the first assist Higgiya fell out on the right flank at the gates of Barbosa. The goalkeeper, who thought that the Uruguayan would make a cross, as in the case of the first goal, accidentally opened the near corner. And Higgia struck the gate with all his might. And hit!
Subsequently, the players of the Uruguayan squad admitted that they had never heard such silence in the stadium.
Brazil tried to save the match, but Uruguay's goalkeeper Maspoli did not disappoint.
After final whistle instead of solemn events came mourning.
FIFA President Jules Rimet only silently handed over the winners' trophy to Varela.
The gate into which Higgia scored was called by his name for a long time. Many years later, the goalkeeper of the Brazilian national team Barbosa acquired the unfortunate goal and burned it down.
After the final, there were reports of several spectators who died of heart attacks in the stands and dozens of suicides across the country. And in Uruguay, July 16 was declared a national holiday.
This game went down in history under the name of Maracanaso (port. - ).
It had many consequences, both for its participants and for the whole country as a whole. The Brazilian national team forever abandoned the white uniform in which they then performed, replacing the unfortunate T-shirts with yellow ones with a green stripe and blue underpants. Many footballers were never called up again under the banners national team. Well, for the already repeatedly mentioned goalkeeper Moasir Barbosa, that game became a curse that ruined not only his career, but also his life. From best goalkeeper in the history of Vasco da Gama, many shied away like a scarecrow, and even once officials of the Brazilian Football Association forbade him to comment on a national team match!
This defeat was the most painful in the history of football in Brazil, which they still remember with a shudder.
1950 World Cup matches:
- 06/24/1950, 1st round, group "A", Brazil - Mexico - 4: 0, 82,000 spectators
- 06/25/1950, 1st round, group "B", England - Chile - 2: 0, 30,000 spectators
- 06/29/1950, 2nd round, group "B", Spain - Chile - 2: 0, 16,000 spectators
- 07/01/1950, 3rd round, group "A", Brazil - Yugoslavia - 2: 0, 142,000 spectators
- 07/02/1950, 3rd round, group "B", Spain - England - 1: 0, 74,000 spectators
- 07/09/1950, final group, Brazil - Sweden - 7: 1, 139,000 spectators
- 07/13/1950, final group, Brazil - Spain - 6: 1, 153,000 spectators
- 07/16/1950, final group, Uruguay - Brazil - 2: 1, 199,854 spectators
From the World Cup to the beginning of the 21st century
After the World Cup, local giants settled on the Maracana - Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo and Vasco da Gama. Of course, they did not play all their matches here, but the most important ones were always played at the Maracana.
Like the Scottish Hampden Park, the Maracana has set many records that are unlikely to ever be broken:
- December 15, 1963 - A record attendance for matches of club tournaments is set. 194,603 spectators gathered at the classic confrontation between Flamengo and Fluminense (177,656 tickets were sold)
- August 31, 1969 - qualifying match for the 1970 World Cup between Brazil and Paraguay gathered 195,513 spectators (183,341 tickets).
The Pele's Santos club also played many of its important matches at the Maracana. Here the club played the final of the Copa Libertadores-1963, hosted its European rivals in the matches for the Intercontinental Cup.
Here, the “king of football” scored his 1000th goal in his career. It happened on November 19, 1969 in the match between Santos and Vasco da Gama, when Pele converted a penalty in the 32nd minute of the match.
In the 1970s, the so-called "zheral" appeared - standing places and benches outside the goals - a tier for the poorest football fans.
In the Brazilian Championship in 1976, during the match between Fluminense and Corinthians, 70,000 visiting fans visited the stands of the stadium (there were a total of 146,000 at the game). This is a record departure of fans in the history of football.
A huge number of people have visited the stands of "Marakana" for many decades. In the 1980s, its average attendance was about 130,000 spectators.
In 1980, the USSR national team in a match dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Maracana unexpectedly slammed in the presence of just 130,000 people of the three-time world champions at that time with a score of 2: 1.
Often, European clubs visited the Maracana to fight with local giants, so I have seen the stadium a lot in my lifetime.
In 1992, a tragic incident occurred on the Maracana. During one of the fights, part of the upper tier of the stands collapsed. Three people died and more than 50 were seriously injured. This event sparked speculation that the stadium was outdated and might need to be demolished. But in 1998, the Maracana was added to the list of national symbols of Brazil, which made it impossible to dismantle it.
In 2000, the country was supposed to host the first world championship for club teams. Under this case, a large-scale reconstruction was carried out, which led to a decrease in the host capacity of the arena to 103,022 people. So "Maracana" ceased to be the most big stadium in the world.
2000 Club World Cup matches:
- 01/06/2000, 1st round, group B, Manchester United - Necaxa (Mexico) - 1: 1, 50,000 spectators
- 01/06/2000, 1st round, group "B", "Vasco da Gama" - "South Melbourne" (Australia) - 2: 0, 66,000 spectators
- 01/08/2000, 2nd round, group B, Manchester United - Vasco da Gama - 1: 3, 73,000 spectators
- 01/08/2000, 2nd round, group "B", "South Melbourne" - "Nekaksa" - 1: 3, 5,000 spectators
- 01/11/2000, 3rd round, group "B", "Manchester United" - "South Melbourne" - 2: 0, 25,000 spectators
- 01/11/2000, 3rd round, group "B", "Nekaksa" - "Vasco da Gama" - 1: 2, 45,000 spectators
- 01/14/2000, match for 3rd place, Real Madrid - Necaxa - 1: 1, on penalties - 3: 4, 35,000 spectators
- 01/14/2000, final, Vasco da Gama - Corinthians - 0: 0, on penalties - 3: 4, 73,000 spectators
In 2005, the Maracanã was again closed for renovation to prepare it for hosting the 2007 Pan American Games. The ditch surrounding the field all these years was removed, the field itself was slightly raised up and brought closer to the stands. Was eliminated and "zhal". The Maracana now contained 82,238.
Maracana today
Only Brazil claimed to host the 2014 World Cup. Due to FIFA's policy of rotating the continents hosting world championships, the 2014 tournament was supposed to go to South America. Other countries in the region refused to fight, so that Brazil could prepare to receive guests.
Naturally, the main stadium of the upcoming championship was to be Maracana, the pride of the country. But, despite two recent renovations, the stadium looked little like an arena worthy of hosting a World Cup final.
In 2010, "Maracana" was again closed for reconstruction, already the third in 11 years! But if earlier appearance The stadium has not changed much, but now the Maracan is simply unrecognizable.
Only the facade of the stadium remained old, which could not be touched (after all, the historical heritage of Brazil). In the rest, we see completely new arena. More than 11,000 workers participated in the reconstruction of the stadium. The conversion cost was BRL 957 million, which is approximately US$ 0.5 billion.
The stands were brought closer to the field, and now the distance to them is only 13 meters (previously it was about 30). The roof was completely replaced, which now covers 95% of the seats. Rainwater is collected on the roof, which is then used for the internal needs of the stadium.
The field is illuminated by 396 spotlights, and 4 electronic scoreboards delight the audience with high-quality replays of the most interesting moments of the match.
The stands are designed for 78,838 spectators, but during the World Cup this number will decrease somewhat - 73,531 seats.
The stadium has 68 VIP boxes, many bars and restaurants. There are 17 new panoramic elevators. All spectators may leave Maracana within 12 minutes. There are special places in the arena for very obese people. Parking is designed for 14,000 spaces.
The stadium has the shape of an oval - 317 meters along the major axis and 279 meters along the minor one. longest distance from the stands to the center of the field is 126 meters, the height of the entire structure is 32 meters.
In front of the entrance to the "Maracana" there is a monument to Ideraldo Bellini, the captain of the Brazilian championship teams at the 1958 World Cup and the 1962 World Cup.
As before, the stadium can be reached through two approach bridges. One is called the “Bellini entrance” (a monument is erected near it), the other is the “entrance of the University of Rio de Janeiro”. And unofficially they are called “Flamengo entrance” and “Vascu entrance” - this has been the custom since the 1970s.
After the reconstruction, the teams of friends Bebeto and Ronaldo were the first to step on the stadium field in the presence of 25,000 spectators, including builders. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was also present at the match.
Officially, the arena was opened on June 2, 2013. friendly match Brazil and England (2:2).
A few days later, "Maracana" hosted the Confederations Cup matches, including the final.
The stadium houses the Walk of Fame and the Football Museum.
The museum was opened in 2006 and became the first in the country dedicated to this sport. Interestingly, visiting the museum is free.
Walk of Fame opened in 2000. It depicts footprints or handprints (for goalkeepers) of mainly famous Brazilian football players.
On the territory of the stadium there are busts of Garrinchi, Mario Zagalo, Mario Filho, a statue top scorer in the history of Zico Stadium (333 goals in 435 matches). He also scored the largest number goals in one match - 6 goals in 1979.
by the most major victories at the stadium are: Flamengo - San Cristovao -12:2 (1956, Carioca League), Spain - Tahiti - 10:0.
In addition to football, Maracanã received a huge number of others, not only sports events. This is the visit of Pope John Paul II, and various concerts, and even volleyball and basketball matches! Enumerate all this, probably, it makes no sense. One concert of the group KISS in 1983 gathered 250,000 spectators!
Botafogo and Vasco now have their own stadiums - Engenyan and San Januario, respectively. But "Fla" and "Flu" remained on the "Maracana".
In 2016, the stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of summer Olympic Games that went to Rio de Janeiro.
And already in the summer of 2014, Maracana became the second stadium in the world, after the Mexican one, which hosted two World Cup finals. And let the famous was not the final, but in fact it was a decisive match. This time, the Brazilian team did not reach the final and never played at the Maracana during the tournament.
Intercontinental Cup matches:
- 09/19/1962, Santos - Benfica - 3: 2, 90,000 spectators (second match - 5: 2)
- 11/14/1963, Santos - Milan - 4: 2, 132,728 spectators (first match - 2: 4)
- 11/16/1963 (replay) Santos - Milan - 1: 0, 120,421 spectators
Copa Libertadores finals:
- 09/03/1963, Santos - Boca Juniors - 3: 2, 100,000 spectators (second match - 2: 1)
- 11/13/1981, Flamengo - Cobreloa - 2: 1, 93,985 spectators (second leg - 0: 1, replay - 2: 0)
- 07/02/2008, Fluminense - LDU Quito - 3: 1, 78,918 spectators (first match - 2: 4)
2009 Copa Sudamericana Final:
- 12/02/2009, Fluminense - LDU Quito - 3:0, 69,565 spectators (first match - 1:5)
CONMEBOL Cup Final:
- 09/29/1993, Botafogo - Peñarol - 2: 2, on penalties - 3: 1, 45,000 spectators (first match - 1: 1)
Supercopa Libertadores finals:
- 11/17/1993, Flamengo - Sao Paulo - 2: 2 (second leg - 2: 2, on penalties - 3: 5)
- 12/06/1995, Flamengo - Independiente - 1: 0, 89,336 spectators (first match - 0: 2)
Confederations Cup-2013:
- 06/16/2013, 1st round, group "A", Mexico - Italy - 1: 2, 73,123 spectators
- 06/20/2013, 2nd round, group "B", Spain - Tahiti - 10:0, 71,806 spectators
- 06/30/2013, final, Brazil - Spain - 3: 0, 73,531 spectators
2014 World Cup matches:
- 06/15/2014, 1st round, group "F", Argentina - Bosnia and Herzegovina - 2: 1, 74,738 spectators
- 06/18/2014, 2nd round, group "B", Spain - Chile - 0: 2, 74,101 spectators
- 06/22/2014, 2nd round, group "N", Belgium - Russia - 1: 0, 73,819 spectators
- 06/25/2014, 3rd round, group "E", Ecuador - France - 0:0, 73,747 spectators
- 06/28/2014, 1/8 finals, Colombia - Uruguay - 2: 0, 73,804 spectators
- 07/04/2014, 1/4 finals, France - Germany - 0: 1, 74,240 spectators
- 07/13/2014, final, Germany - Argentina - 1: 0, 74,738 spectators
Excursion to the Maracanã stadium in Rio: how to see celebrities and visit the Brazilian Football Museum. How does the stadium live today? Photos and reviews.
If you ask any traveler a question about what are the main ones he knows, in response you can hear anything, from the National Park and the mountains, to the carnivals of Rio and the outlandish cuisine that is offered in the peripheral regions of the country. But only a real fan and football lover, without hesitation, will say that the main attraction of Brazil is the Maracanã Stadium, located, probably, in the most beautiful city in the country - Rio de Janeiro.
Maracana is one of the largest stadiums in the world!
History of the stadium construction
Built in 1948 to host the 1950 Football World Cup, the Maracanã Stadium was at the time the largest of its kind in the entire world.
This arena is designed for more than 150 thousand people, but later the seats were reduced for security reasons and today the stadium can accommodate no more than 80 thousand people. Although during the first championship, according to unofficial data, more than 200 thousand people were present here.
Later, the Maracana Stadium more than once became the scene of decisive football battles, so most recently in 2014, two strongest teams met here in the final “battle”. And very soon, it is on Maracana that the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Rio will take place, this will happen already this year.
Celebrities and Walk of Fame
The Maracanã stadium is clearly visible from viewing platforms Rio
In addition to football, this stadium regularly hosts other sports and cultural events. So, at one time such groups as the Rolling Stones, Kiss performed here, Paul McCartney and Tina Turner, Frank Sinatra and Madonna soloed, even the Pope himself spoke more than once with his flock from the stadium field. And in honor of the athletes who played on the Maracana in 2000, the Walk of Fame was established. Therefore, today you can see here such celebrities as Pele, Eusebio, Beckenbauer and many others.
In addition, on the territory of the Maracan stadium, everyone can visit the football museum, which exhibits awards and personal belongings of legendary football players.
Maracana Stadium today
The stadium is visited by solo travelers and organized groups
To date, the oval bowl of the Maracanã stadium is the central sports arena Rio, although initially it was just a renovated stadium of one of the city's Vasca da Gama clubs.
Updated and refurbished to last championship world, the stadium today is also one of the most comfortable and equipped stadiums. All spectator seats are sheltered from the scorching rays of the sun with a darkened plastic roof, and local cafes and restaurants serve gourmet dishes and refreshing drinks are always available.
In a city of contrasts, the Maracanã stadium is adjacent to the favelas
Although, to be honest, I am not a passionate football fan, but while in Rio de Janeiro, my husband still persuaded me to visit Maracanã stadium. Looking ahead, I will say that I did not regret it at all. In general, for many, Brazil is associated with a carnival or with a statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, but football fans immediately have another association when they mention this country.- chic Maracanã stadium.
The Maracanã stadium is open to visitors every day (even on holidays) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. About 7,000 people visit the stadium every month. The Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro is rightfully considered a symbol of world football. Many football players dream of playing at least one match in their career at this stadium, because playing on the field of this legendary stadium means forever preserving your name in the history of world football. By the way, since 1998 the stadium has been included in the list of historical monuments.
This marvel of sports architecture was named after a small stream that flows near the stadium. Construction Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro started in 1948 and was timed to coincide with the World Cup in 1950. The official opening of the Maracanã stadium took place in the summer of 1950, at which time a national team match was held here.teams of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The official name of the Maracanã stadium is Mario Filho, this name was given to him in honor of the Brazilian journalist who took an active part in the development of the stadium project.
The total area of the Maracanã stadium (together with its adjacent territories) is about 195600 sq. m. The stadium is built in the shape of an oval, the roof peak is reinforced on consoles, and the field is separated from the stands by a small moat with water.
The Maracanã stadium tour in Rio de Janeiro starts right at the entrance. Next to it is a monument to the captain of the championship teams of Brazil- Hilderaldo Bellini.
Here you can see a kind Hall of Fame the stadium in which 90 great football players of the world left their footprints, including Ronaldo, Pele Carlos Torres.
Moving on, we saw an exhibition of photographs with autographs and commemorative plaques. Throughout the history of the existence of Maracana, many famous personalities have visited here, from the Pope to the Queen of England. The photographs capture the legends of Brazilian and world football. Part of the exposition of the exhibition is dedicated to famous teams, and the other- grandiose concerts that were held at the Maracana Stadium, among the stars at the stadium were Tina Turner, Paul McCartney and many others.
Also inside the stadium you can see various panels and frescoes depicting the history of the construction of Maracana, as well as the history of Brazilian and world football.
On the territory of the Maracana stadium there is an indoor sports hall, so to speak, a reduced copy of the stadium. This hall is called- Maracanazinho, which in translation means small or baby. It hosts various concerts, festivals, competitions, includingboxing, tennis and more.
We then took the elevator up to the 6th floor. From here you have a magnificent panorama of this huge sports complex. From above, you can clearly see the entire field and stands, including VIP seats, where the Pope and Queen Elizabeth once watched the game.
This tribune is intended for guests of honor.
And at the end of the tour, we went to the stadium field, where the legendary Pele scored his thousandth goal against the rivals.
In general, the tour was informative. Football fans will certainly like the large and beautiful Maracana stadium, and those who are far from sports, in my opinion, will be interested in visiting here.
Only 6 months have passed since the closing of the Olympic Games in Rio, and most of the Olympic venues are already falling apart. The reason is simple - the city does not have enough money to service them, it also fails to attract athletes and tourists there, so the whole Olympic Park stands empty and abandoned. And given the crime that reigns in Brazil, it is not difficult to guess that in a year everything will be taken apart brick by brick. Already began to steal wiring, fire extinguishers and equipment.
In general, the Olympics are most often a big problem for the city. I have been to many former Olympic venues, very rarely they can be integrated into a quiet city life. Even in Moscow, numerous stadiums built for the Olympics-80 and sports objects today look like foreign bodies in the urban environment.
I propose to walk around the Olympic Park in Rio and see what it looks like six months later.
Photo: Nacho Doce / Reuters
This is "Maracana", the most big stadium in Brazil. In 2016, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games were held here. And that's where they played football matches Olympics. Now the stadium is abandoned... 
The reason is that the authorities, the organizers of the Olympics and the owners of the stadium could not agree on which of them will pay the almost one million dollar bill for electricity and maintenance of the facility. As a result, the power went out... 
Photo: Vanderlei Almeida / AFP / Getty Images
The stadium was not built from scratch. It has existed here since 1950, and in 2010-1012 it was simply restored. The restoration cost 400 million euros and was timed to coincide with the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The stadium saw little use during the 2016 Olympics. The last event was held here in December, it was a charity match. Since then, the stadium has been completely abandoned. 
Photo: Silvia Izquierdo / AP
But even two months was enough... Vandals tore out thousands of seats. 
Photo: Silvia Izquierdo / AP
Electronic scoreboards were stolen. 
Photo: Silvia Izquierdo / AP
They tore the upholstery on the chairs. Although some hoped that things would be different. For example, here is a quote from Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist at the State University of Rio de Janeiro: "Maracana" is the main symbol of how the games are organized. Most people will never come to a golf course or other Olympic venues. But with "Maracana" everything is different. This is the jewel in the crown." 
Photo: Silvia Izquierdo / AP
This is what the stadium looks like from the outside. Football Federation of Rio de Janeiro fears that it will only get worse. Formally, the stadium is the home arena for four football clubs, but they do not use it. 
Photo: Vanderlei Almeida / AFP / Getty Images
Olympic water stadium. Its façade was adorned with translucent canvases created by the Brazilian artist Adriana Varejo, now peeled and torn. 
Photo: Nacho Doce / Reuters
And the training pool is filled with rainwater, mud and dead insects. 
Photo: Pilar Olivares / Reuters
This is what the water center looks like inside. 
Photo: Pilar Olivares / Reuters
And this is the Olympic golf course, in the arrangement of which 16 million euros have been invested. After the Olympics, the Brazilian Golf Confederation was unable to attract enough players. There is not enough money to maintain the facility. 
Photo: Nacho Doce / Reuters
Modular houses built for the Olympics on the golf course are now also abandoned. 
Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
On the fence around the sports complex, Deodoro sees an announcement: “We are closed for the duration of the pool renovation, we will be back in January. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!" In general, the area around Deodoro was going to be turned into a large park after the Olympics. But in December, the mayor's office terminated the contract with the company that was supposed to do this. Now the local Olympic Committee is looking for a new contractor who could take over the management of the sports complex. 
Photo: Pilar Olivares / Reuters
This is the Carioca Arena, where competitions in basketball, fencing and martial arts were held. 
Photo: Pilar Olivares / Reuters
And this is the Olympic tennis center. In early February, beach volleyball competitions were held here, and until that moment the facility was also abandoned. 
Photo: Pilar Olivares / Reuters
Photo: Pilar Olivares / Reuters
Teresa Williamson, director of a non-governmental organization that supports people living in slums, believes that the Olympic Park is abandoned due to the general economic downturn in the city: “Because of the Olympics, it was Rio that saw the most fast growth economy, and because of it, the most rapid decline is now observed here. Absolutely everyone suffers losses.” 
Photo: Silvia Izquierdo / AP
Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty
According to the residents of the city, the only positive moment left after the Olympics is the improvement of the system public transport. But it also affected only prosperous areas. 
Photo: Mario Tama/Getty
No country in the world has had successful cases of exploiting the Olympic heritage without a complete reconstruction. A normal city doesn't need so much sports facilities such a capacity. In London, for example, after the Olympics, the former Olympic Park began to be built up with housing, it was almost completely redone. In Sochi, the mountain cluster has turned into a resort, which is good. True, the railway line turned out to be unprofitable, and trains now run very rarely. It is quite possible that over time it will have to be dismantled, because after the Olympics it is not profitable to drive empty trains. But the problem with stadiums. Most of the time, the Olympic Park in Sochi is empty. The giant spaces filled with asphalt that were needed in 2014 are idle today. They are very expensive to maintain, and there is nothing to do. And the Olympic Park needs to be reconstructed, of course, otherwise it will continue to stand as a monument to the Olympics, sucking out a lot of money to maintain order.
Football fans know that homeland popular game is the UK. But the main achievements in its popularization and development belong to sunny Brazil. This mobile game, adored by all Brazilians, is played here as soon as they have learned to walk. Any inexperienced tourist who has visited the stadiums of Rio de Janeiro and football matches of famous clubs will fall in love with football for life.
"Maracana"- largest capacity football stadium Brazil. The official name of the stadium is "Mario Filho", until recently it was the largest stadium in the world. It serves as the home arena of the Brazilian national team, Flamengo and Fluminense clubs. And the two grand clubs of the state - Vasco da Gama and Botafogo, having their own forty thousand stadiums, prefer to hold Superclasico with other teams at the Maracan. Every year they spend here final games in the Carioca League championship.
The stadium got its name from the small river Marakana, which flows nearby. In 1948, before the 1950 World Cup, the construction of the Maracana began. Construction work was finally completed only by 1965. The original plan was to replace the old sports facility football club"Vasco da Gama", but "Maracana" eventually turned into the national stadium of Brazil.
"Mario Filho" - such an official name was given to him in honor of the journalist, with the help of whom the project was brought to life. In the summer of 1950, the stadium was opened with a match between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, when the famous Didi scored the first goal.
During the fourth world championship, significant international games, the highest tension in the decisive match was the defeat of the hosts from longtime rivals - the Uruguayans. 199,850 fans - a record number of spectators attended the match. In terms of attendance, the football stadium set several records that have not been broken to this day.
Up to 180 thousand fans gathered at the Marakana at international meetings. In the 1980s, the attendance of matches at national championships was up to 130,000 spectators. In order to play the home games of the Intercontinental Cup at the Maracana, Santos specially came here in 1962 and 1963. In the winter of 2000, the world's strongest clubs participated in the final club championship world, the first edition of the new tournament established by FIFA.
The stadium is built in the shape of an oval. The stands are separated from the field by a moat, the roof peak is fixed with consoles. Near the main arena is the Maracanasinho indoor gym, which hosts tennis matches, boxing competitions and even various concerts and festivals.
Once this football arena was the largest in the world and could accommodate two hundred thousand spectators. But FIFA set requirements for only numbered seats for spectators, so the stadium abolished the “geral” - benches and standing places outside the goal, where the poorest fans settled. "Geral" is the most democratic place on the "Maracan" and eventually became part of football team Brazil. The symbolic cost of a ticket of one dollar made it possible for almost every fan to see the match of their favorite team.
After the reconstruction, the sports facility lost the status of the largest stadium in South America. For 2014, the capacity is only 78838 spectators. At the request of FIFA in 2014 at the World Cup, the number of seats was reduced to 73,531. The new plastic roof buried almost all seats for spectators from the sun and rain.
In 2016, Maracan will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as football matches of the Olympics tournament.
Maria Lenk Water Park located in City sports park. Built in 2004, the stadium hosted the 2007 Pan American Games (swimming and diving competitions). The complex was named in honor of the first Latin American woman to participate in the Olympic Games.
The water park was built in accordance with FINA requirements: a diving pool and one fifty-meter pool. The area is 42 thousand square meters. m, with a capacity of up to eight thousand spectators.
By decision of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, water sportsmen have been and are still training here to prepare for the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016.
In 2016, water polo and diving competitions will be held here as part of the Summer Olympic Games.
Sports complex "Maracanazinho"(Portuguese for "Little Maracana") has the official name "Sports Complex Gilberto Cardoso". This sports indoor arena can accommodate up to twelve thousand spectators. The opening took place in 1954. "Maracanasinho" hosted world tournaments in basketball, volleyball, judo, mini-football, competitions in the 2007 Pan American Games. The complex will host in 2016 volleyball tournament summer olympic games. "Maracanasinho" served as the main venue for international song festivals (from 1966 to 1972) and Miss Brazil contests.
The sports complex was named after the former president of the Flamengo club, Gilberto Cardoso. At the time of opening, the audience capacity was 13,613 seats. A massive fire in 1970 destroyed the roof, causing the Miss Brazil pageant to be relocated. Maracanasinho resumed operations after restoration work the following year. On the eve of the 2007 Pan American Games, a new reconstruction was carried out.
The complex, which opened in 2007, already has a smaller number of seats - 11,800. The renovated stadium is equipped with a four-sided electronic scoreboard made in China and latest system conditioning.
In 2009, the Walk of Fame was opened at Maracanasinho, where the names of famous athletes who have ever performed in this arena. The first members of the Walk of Fame were the famous futsal player Falcao, coach Bernardo Rezende and twelve players from the Brazilian men's volleyball team. Also on the Walk of Fame were two-time world basketball champions Amauri Pasos and Vlamir Markes, Olympic champion Volleyball player Fabi Oliveira. Further on the Alley of Fame, tennis player Gustavo Kuerten, judoists Ketlane Quadrus, Juan Derli, Rugerio Sampaio received their places.
In 2008 in sports complex the final games of the sixth futsal world championship were held, the home team won. In 2013, the World Judo Championship was held here.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the complex was known as a venue for major international festivals and concerts. IN different years such famous Brazilian performers as Tom Jobin, Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarki, Maria Betania, Geraldo Vandre, Caetana Veloso had a chance to perform at the Maracanazinho arena. Here in 1975 it was organized ice show Holiday on Ice.
Rio Olympic Arena is a multi-purpose sports and concert complex and is located in Olympic park Rio. The construction of the complex continued from February 2006 to June 2007.
The building is the largest indoor arena in Rio de Janeiro with a total area of up to 65 thousand square meters. The complex consists of multi-purpose rooms used for both training and corporate events. Around the main arena there are places (two hundred) for distinguished guests and the press, more than fifty boxes for 1118 seats, permanent (12988) and removable (1984) seats. For concert events, the number of spectator seats can be increased to 18,000. The main arena is equipped with an electronic scoreboard. The building has eight elevators and four ramps for wheelchairs. Near the complex - parking for 1300 parking spaces.
The complex from 2008 to 2016 (the start of the Olympic events) is rented by the HSBC banking concern and is called the HSBC Arena.
Immediately after opening in 2007, the Rio Olympic Arena hosted the Pan American Games gymnastics and basketball competitions. The 2007 World Judo Championship and the 2011 World Military Games were also organized here. The Olympic Arena of Rio in 2016 will host the gymnastic tournaments during the Summer Olympic Games and the basketball competitions of the Paralympic Games.
The HSBC Arena hosted matches of the national basketball championship, in which the multiple champions of the country, the Flamengo team, and Ultimate Fighting championship.
HSBC Arena is a venue for concerts by pop stars and rock musicians. Beyoncé, Bob Dylan, Cat Power, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, Diana Ross, Robert Plant, Queen, Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., Green Day, Kiss and other performers performed here, Miss Rio de Janeiro beauty pageants were held .
Barra Olympic Velodrome built for the 2007 Pan American Games, located near the Nelson Piquet International Circuit, next to the Maria Lenk Water Park and the Rio Olympic Arena.
The center can accommodate 6400 spectators. It is planned track Olympic cycling races in singles and doubles among women and men, Paralympic tandem track races.
Exhibition Complex Riocentro located in the Barra di Tijuca region. It is the largest exhibition center in South America and the largest in the world. During the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Riocentro, boxing, weightlifting, table tennis, badminton.
Vasco da Gama Stadium, better known as San Januario belongs to Vasco da Gama, named after the street and club of the same name. Opened in April 1927. The facade of the stadium is considered the artistic and national historical heritage of Brazil. It is located in the Vasco da Gama area, on a hill next to the National Observatory of Brazil. Due to its location, the stadium has been given the nickname "Estadio da Colina" - Stadium Hill. And the team was nicknamed "Big Hills". In this arena, the coaching area and benches are located outside the goal.
Initially, the stadium could accommodate more than 15,000 spectators. In the stadium's first match, the Vasco da Gama team beat the Santos team.
São Januario was Brazil's largest stadium until Pacaemba opened in São Paulo. In Rio de Janeiro, he lost the palm in 1950, when the Maracana was built for the World Cup. After 88 years, it remains a popular large private stadium in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Since the seventeenth President of Brazil, Getulio Vargas, spoke to the people very often in this arena, it has an important historical significance for the country. From the rostrum of San Januario, the first working law was announced. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, the stadium will host rugby games.
Engenyan Stadium has an official name Olympic StadiumJoao Havelange, also known as Nilton Santos Stadium. It is located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro - Engenho de Dentra and therefore received such a name. The arena hosts competitions in athletics and football.
The property of the city of Rio de Janeiro, but the Botafogo club rents Engenyan until 2027. Botafogo pays two million dollars in rent per year.
The City of Rio in 2015 allowed the Botafogo club to use the name "Nilton Santos Stadium" for their own purposes (in memory of the legendary Botafogo defender, the Brazilian national team Nilton Santos, who died in 2013). The club's initiative to officially rename the stadium was rejected.
In 2016, during the Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the stadium will host athletics competitions.
When the Maracana was closed for renovation, since 2011 Engenyan has been used as home arena Fluminense and Flamengo.
Sports tours to Brazil - this does not mean visiting only stadiums and related sporting events. Rio de Janeiro has many attractions popular with tourists: the famous statue of Christ the Savior crowning the mountain peak of Corcovado, Copacabana Beach, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Selarona Stairs, Lage Park, Sambadrome and much more.
