Samba, baby! Rio to open Summer Olympic Games

But, as always, all will be pushed aside today with the opening ceremony and the coming 17 days of the world’s greatest sporting spectacle.

RIO DE JANEIRO U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday he is confident the Olympics Games will be “safe, sound, secure” and said the United States and Brazil are working together to ensure they are.

You may even see some billboards, on Interstate 64/40 and Interstate 170, wishing Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, good luck from North America’s first Olympic city to South America’s first. One of Brazil’s best ever athletes was one of the best footballers we’ve ever seen, but there are concerns as to whether he’ll make it due to health concerns. There will be notable appearances from Brazilian singers including Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen will also be on hand.

Pele was reportedly in line to light the Olympic cauldron, following in the footsteps of the likes of Muhammad Ali and Cathy Freeman. Technically, the Games are already underway (soccer competitions began on August 3), but the bulk of events will take place after the ceremony.

In all, 4,800 performers and volunteers will be involved in the show, which is built on three basic pillars of life in Brazil. NBC will provide an online live stream beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT. Details can be found at the bottom of this story. Rio is one hour later than Eastern time.

The ceremony will air on NBC on a one-hour tape delay in the East (and a four-hour delay in the West). Brazilian politics have been in total turmoil, highlighted by the impeachment trial and removal from office of president Dilma Rousseff in May.

The Oscar-nominated and renowned Brazilian director of 2002’s City of God took to Twitter on Friday to say that two political candidates are not going to be fans of the show, Trump and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro.