The razzmatazz to kick off the fiesta that is the Olympics is set to begin on Friday evening in Rio de Janeiro, with the Opening Ceremony, while not promising the James Bond suave, ready to create that buzz that has still not quite crescendo in Rio.
Once the Olympics really warms up, with the likes of Usain Bolt, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Michael Phelps and more coming into play, the task that the Opening Ceremony organisers have is to create that interest from day one.
The London Olympics certainly did that with their high-profile acts, including the one with the Queen jumping out of a helicopter with Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond. Now, it will be up to Rio to fascinate and exhilarate in their own unique way.
Too much of the buildup to these Olympics has been about negative stories, and if Rio wants to be one of those Olympics that people talk about for years, a "man that was awesome" Opening Ceremony is a great way to begin.
"This is the moment we were waiting for," Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada said. "There is an important tradition that a good opening ceremony is a good sign for the rest of the Olympics. It is beautiful, it is very Brazilian. The people involved are very proud."
While the three main themes of the garden, diversity and joy might not make most stand up and take notice from the off, one of the set designers for the Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony – Abel Gomes -- has promised an even that will not soon be forgotten, and not particularly for the reasons that most still remember the Queen jumping out of a helicopter.
"We are the last natural garden of the world," Gomes said. "We will give a message to the future of the world. The garden is a very important pillar that we will be embracing during the ceremony. It is our passion, it is our drive.
"The Brazilians living in this country, they have incredible race diversity. We will be speaking about these Brazilians and they are the ones who will embrace and welcome the world that is arriving here for these Games.
"The way we smile, the way we welcome, the way we hug (will highlight the joy theme of the Opening Ceremony)."
Where to Watch Live
The Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony is scheduled for an 8 p.m. local time (12 a.m. BST, 4.30 a.m. IST) start. Below are the live streaming and TV information needed to watch the event live.
India: TV: Star Sports. Live Streaming: Starports.com and Hotstar.
Brazil: TV: SporTV, Globo, Fox Sports and ESPN.
South America: TV: ESPN. Live Streaming: ESPN Play Latin America.
UK: TV: BBC One and BBC One HD. Live Streaming: BBCiPlayer.
USA: TV: NBC. Live Streaming: NBC Sports live extra, NBC Olympics and NBC Olympics app.
China: TV: CCTV.
Australia: TV: Channel 7, 7Two and 7Mate. Live Streaming: Channel 7 online.
France: TV: Canal+.
Germany: TV: ARD and ZDF.
Europe: TV: Sportfive.
Middle East and North Africa: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
Singapore: TV: Fox.
Malaysia: TV: Hypp TV and Astro.
South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa: SuperSport. Live Streaming: SuperSport Live Video.
