CBC/RADIO-CANADA OFFICIALLY KICKS OFF ITS LIVE COVERAGE OF THE RIO 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES WITH THE OPENING CEREMONY, TOMORROW
CBC – Coverage begins Friday, Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT) on CBC, CBC News Network and TSN and online at cbc.ca/olympics, on CBC’s app for Rio 2016 and in virtual reality using the CBC Olympic Games Virtual Reality app
Viewers are invited to join members of Canada’s Olympic team to watch the Opening Ceremony at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto
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August 4, 2016 – CBC/Radio-Canada marks the official start of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games tomorrow with live coverage of the Opening Ceremony. CBC’s English-language coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT) live from Maracana Stadium, giving Canadians the best seat in the house as the world’s top athletes take centre stage.
The Opening Ceremony will air live, simultaneously on CBC, CBC News Network and TSN. Viewers can also watch online at cbc.ca/olympics and via CBC’s app for Rio 2016 for iOS and Android devices. For the first time in Olympic Games history, Canadians can place themselves in the centre of the excitement with an exclusive virtual reality or 360 video experience from inside the stadium with the CBC Olympic Games Virtual Reality app, brought to Canadians exclusively by Visa.
CBC’s hosts for the Opening Ceremony, Scott Russell and Peter Mansbridge, will guide viewers through the spectacle, including Team Canada’s entrance during the parade of nations led by flag-bearer Rosie MacLennan. Mansbridge will offer his thoughts on Rio 2016 and the Olympic Games through a video essay that sets the stage for the Ceremony and the events to come over the course of the Games. Olympic Games Daytime co-hosts Andi Petrillo and David Amber, reporter and Olympian Perdita Felicien and CBC News Network host Heather Hiscox will also join the broadcast throughout the Ceremony.
The Opening Ceremony will feature performances by some of Brazil’s top musical acts, including Karol Conka, 12-year-old rapper MC Soffia, pop singer Ludmilla and the legendary Elza Sores. Also slated to perform are Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, who will team with Brazilian sensation, Anitta. In addition to the musical acts, other well-known Brazilian celebrities are expected to take part in the Ceremony, including supermodel Gisele Bündchen and model Lea T, the first transgender person to play a major role at the Opening Ceremony of an Olympic Games.
Viewers in Toronto are invited to watch the Opening Ceremony at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre (250 Front St. W.) with activities including giveaways, face painting and a Q&A with members of Canada’s Olympic team including Adam van Koeverden, KC Fraser and Genny Orton, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Canadian Broadcasting Centre will be open daily from 7 a.m. until 12 midnight during the Olympic Games. Canadians are encouraged to visit a viewing event in their area to cheer the world together here at home.
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CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada’s trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective.
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For further information, please contact:
Simon Bassett, publicist, CBC
416-205-8533 (office) 416-988-1590 (mobile)