XXXI Olympic Games 2016
05-21 August 2016 | Rio, Brazil
This was our fifteenth appearance at the Olympics.
The Olympic Council of Malaysia sent a team of 32 athletes, 17 men and 15 women, across ten sports at the Games, matching its largest team ever from Beijing eight years earlier.
Among the sports represented by the nation’s athletes, Malaysia made its Olympic debut in golf (new to the 2016 Games), as well as its return to weightlifting after an eight-year absence. Badminton had the largest team by sport with eight athletes, a quarter of the nation’s full roster.
Malaysia left Rio de Janeiro with a total of five medals (four silver and one bronze), signifying its most successful outcome in Olympic history and doubling the previous highest medal tallies set at Atlanta 1996 and London 2012.
Emblem
The Rio 2016 emblem is inspired by the organisers’ vision, which is: “All Brazilians uniting to deliver the greatest festival on earth and proudly advancing our national promise of progress.” It has, as its essence, the concepts of passion and transformation, which both reflect modern-day Brazil. This positioning is supported by four pillars – harmonious diversity, contagious energy, exuberant nature, and the Olympic spirit. These have all been masterfully combined to give Rio 2016 its colourful identity. This emblem is not only a symbol of Rio’s and Brazil’s hopes for these Games but also for the future of the city and country.
Mascot
VINICIUS: The name of the Olympic mascot pays tribute to Brazilian musician Vinicius de Moraes.
It is a mix of different Brazilian animals. His design takes inspiration from pop culture, as well as a video game and animation characters. Alongside his Paralympic Games colleague, Vinicius represents the diversity of the Brazilian people and culture, as well as its exuberant nature.
CREATOR: Birdo Produções
DID YOU KNOW?
The call for tenders for the creation of the Rio 2016 mascots was launched in November 2012 and was aimed at Brazilian companies and professionals in the fields of design, animation and illustration. The country’s major firms took part. After various selection phases, a multi-disciplinary jury unanimously selected the final project in August 2013. The Olympic and Paralympic mascots were unveiled simultaneously to the public on 23 November 2014.
Over the three weeks following the presentation of the Olympic and Paralympic mascots, a public vote took place to select their respective names. Three choices were on offer: Oba and Eba; Tiba Tuque and Esquindim; and Vinicius and Tom. A total of 323,327 votes were registered. The third proposal won the competition, with 44 per cent of the valid votes.
The mascots (life-sized costume versions) made their first public appearance at the Ginásio Experimental Olímpico Juan Antonio Samaranch, named after the former IOC President. This is a school in Rio, opened under the impetus of the Games and aimed at young sporting talents.
Torch
Number of torchbearers: ~450 in Greece, ~12,000 in Brazil
Total distance: ~2,235km in Greece, 36,000km in Brazil (20,000 by road and 16,000 by air)
Countries crossed: Greece, Switzerland and Brazil
Athletes & Officials
Click on any of the sport’s icon to view the list of athletes & officials.
Medals
4
Silver
1
Bronze