Poor crowds were once again the main talking point at the Rio Olympics on Friday, even as the athletics got under way.
There were vast swathes of empty seats all around the Olympic Stadium for the first morning of track action, a stark contrast to the packed house which greeted the opening day of athletics at London 2012, and even for the start of the evening session the venue was less than a fifth full.
Here, we look at how the attendances were at other venues across the Brazilian city:
Velodrome – There were a few empty seats at the start of the second day of track cycling, but the venue was soon full and numerous Union Flags on display hinted at a big British presence.
Tennis Centre – The crowd for Andy Murray’s match was disappointing but Rafael Nadal’s quarter-final win against Brazil’s Thomas Bellucci generated the best atmosphere of the week from an almost full stadium.
Equestrian Centre – The team dressage final failed to attract a large crowd to Deodoro, with the centre less than half full all day.
Carioca Arena 3 – It was a similar story for day seven of the fencing competitions, where the men’s team final was poorly attended.
Shooting Centre – One of the few places to buck the trend was the Olympic Shooting Centre, where the men’s 50m rifle prone final and women’s skeet contest saw the stands almost full.
Lagoa Stadium – Rowing also drew a large crowd as a number of medals were decided, with a large Irish presence noticeable to see the O’Donovan brothers win a silver medal.
Reserva de Marapendi – Official attendance figures were not immediately available for day two, but more than 6,000 spectators watched golf’s return to the Olympics on Thursday and Craig Connelly, caddie for Martin Kaymer, wrote on Twitter: “Crowds here in Rio for the golf have been fantastic. Hope it looks good on TV!”
Crowds here in Rio for the golf have been fantastic. Hope it looks good on TV!
— Craig Connelly (@theweeman77) August 12, 2016
Future Arena – Handball has proven a popular attraction for athletes from other sports as well as spectators, with the stadium around 85 per cent full for Spain’s clash against Romania in the women’s competition.
