The battle for Olympic gold begins in Rio de Janeiro this weekend when the doors to 37 sporting venues open to the world’s best athletes to compete in their chosen sports.

Thirty two venues in Rio de Janeiro and five football stadiums in co-host cities Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Manaus, Salvador and São Paulo will host some 306 events across 28 sports over the 16 day period.

Some of the venues are old, some are new, and some of them are only temporary, but most of the 2016 Olympic venues have been designed by architects.

The full list of 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games venues:

MARACANÃ STADIUM BY BERGERMAN & PARTNER

Maracanã Stadium will stage the opening and closing ceremonies, and the decisive matches of the men's and women's football tournaments (both finals and one semi-final in each).

SAMBÓDROMO BY OSCAR NIEMEYER

The traditional venue for carnival samba school parades, the Sambódromo will open its doors to archery and the marathon during Rio 2016.

RIO OLYMPIC ARENA BY LOPES SANTOS & FERREIRA GOMES

During Rio 2016, the Rio Olympic Arena will stage artistic, rhythmic and trampoline gymnastic events.

PONTAL

This temporary beachside facility, located in Rio de Janeiro's Western Zone, will be the start and finish line for the Rio 2016 road cycling time trials and race walk competitions.

OLYMPIC STADIUM BY LOPES SANTOS & FERREIRA GOMES

Built for the 2007 Pan American Games, the Olympic Stadium will be the home of Rio 2016 athletics and one of the venues for the football tournament.

RIOCENTRO PAVILION 2

Riocentro Pavilion 2 will provide the backdrop to the Rio 2016 weightlifting competition.

RIOCENTRO PAVILION 3

Riocentro Pavilion 3 will host the Rio 2016 table tennis competition.

RIOCENTRO PAVILION 4

Riocentro Pavilion 4 will host the Rio 2016 badminton competition.

RIOCENTRO PAVILION 6

The newly built Riocentro Pavilion 6 will host the boxing competition during Rio 2016.

CARIOCA ARENA 1 BY ARQHOS CONSULTORIA E PROJETOS (CELSO GIRAFA)

Carioca Arena 1 will be the new home of Olympic basketball.

CARIOCA ARENA 2 BY ARQHOS CONSULTORIA E PROJETOS (CELSO GIRAFA)

Carioca Arena 2 will be the Rio 2016 venue for wrestling and judo competitions.

CARIOCA ARENA 3 BY ARQHOS CONSULTORIA E PROJETOS (CELSO GIRAFA)

Purpose-built for Rio 2016, Carioca Arena 3 will host taekwondo and fencing competitions.

YOUTH ARENA BY VIGLIECCA & ASSOCIADOS

Built for the Games, the facility will stage the modern pentathlon fencing matches, as well as the group stage of the women's basketball tournament.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL ARENA

Beach Volleyball Arena will host the Rio 2016 beach volleyball competition.

WHITEWATER STADIUM BY VIGLIECCA & ASSOCIADOS

The Whitewater Stadium holds 25 million litres of water in its two canoe slalom courses.

LAGOA STADIUM

The lagoon will host Rio 2016 rowing and canoe sprint events.

OLYMPIC BMX CENTRE BY VIGLIECCA & ASSOCIADOS

The Olympic BMX Centre was built for Rio 2016.

MOUNTAIN BIKE CENTRE BY VIGLIECCA & ASSOCIADOS

The Mountain Bike Centre is one of three venues that comprise the X-Park.

FORT COPACABANA

The iconic setting of Fort Copacabana will provide the starting point for the road cycling race, marathon swimming and triathlon competitions.

RIO OLYMPIC VELODROME BY BLAC ARQUITETURA

The Olympic Velodrome will host the Rio 2016 track cycling competition.

MARIA LENK AQUATICS CENTRE BY LOPES SANTOS & FERREIRA GOMES

The Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre will host diving, water polo (group stages) and synchronised swimming.

OLYMPIC EQUESTRIAN CENTRE BY BCMF ARQUITETOS (RENOVATED BY VIGLIECCA & ASSOCIADOS)

The facility hosts the jumping and dressage arena, cross-country course and horse and trainer accommodation.

AMAZÔNIA ARENA BY GMP ARCHITEKTEN

This stadium will host six matches (four men's, two women's) in the group stages of the football tournaments.

CORINTHIANS ARENA BY ANÍBAL COUTINHO

The arena will host group and quarter-final matches in the men’s and women’s football tournaments, plus a men’s semi-final and the women’s bronze medal game.

FONTE NOVA ARENA BY MARC DUWE AND CLAAS SCHULITZ

The stadium will host eight group-stage matches and two quarter-finals (one men's and one women's) in the Rio 2016 Olympic football tournaments.

MANÉ GARRINCHA STADIUM BY ÍCARO DE CASTRO MELLO (RENOVATED BY CASTRO MELLO ARQUITETOS, GMP ARCHITEKTEN, SCHLAICH BERGERMANN UND PARTNER)

The Mané Garrincha Stadium will be the stage for eight group-stage football matches, including the men's tournament's opening match, and one men's and one women's quarter-final.

MINEIRÃO EDUARDO MENDES GUIMARÃES JÚNIOR + GASPAR GARRETO (RENOVATED BY BCMF ARQUITETOS)

Mineirão, one of Brazil’s most famous football stadiums, will host six group games (four women's, two men's), two quarter-finals (one men's, one women's), a women's semi-final and the men's third-place play-off.

OLYMPIC GOLF COURSE BY RUA ARQUITETOS

The Olympic Golf Course will provide the setting for the sport's return to the Games after more than a century away.

FUTURE ARENA BY LOPES SANTOS & FERREIRA GOMES + ANDARCHITECTS

The Future Arena, a temporary installation, will host Rio 2016’s handball competition.

OLYMPIC HOCKEY CENTRE BY VIGLIECCA & ASSOCIADOS

The facility has two artificial turf pitches and will become home to the Brazilian national team after the Games.

DEODORO AQUATICS CENTRE BY BCMF ARQUITETOS (RENOVATED BY VIGLIECCA & ASSOCIADOS)

The Deodoro Aquatics Centre will stage the swimming section of the modern pentathlon competition.

DEODORO STADIUM BY VIGLIECCA & ASSOCIADOS

The temporary Deodoro Stadium, built around an existing polo field, will host the Rio 2016 rugby competition, as well as the equestrian and combined running and shooting sections of the modern pentathlon.

MARINA DA GLÓRIA BY EDUARDO MANDOLFO

The Marina da Glória will host sailing competitions taking place on Guanabara Bay and out on the open ocean.

OLYMPIC SHOOTING CENTRE BY BCMF ARQUITETOS (RENOVATED BY VIGLIECCA & ASSOCIADOS)

The Olympic Shooting Centre underwent minor upgrade work ahead of the Rio 2016 Games – the seven shooting ranges used for the 2007 Pan American Games were modernised and a temporary one was built.

OLYMPIC AQUATICS STADIUM BY GMP, ARCHITEKTEN VON GERKAN, MARG UND PARTNER

The Olympic Aquatics Stadium will host the swimming competitions and water polo finals.

OLYMPIC TENNIS CENTRE BY BLAC ARQUITETURA

Purpose-built for the Rio 2016 Games, the Olympic Tennis Centre features 16 courts, some of which are temporary.

MARACANÃZINHO BY GALVÃO, BASTOS, AZEVEDO AND CARNEIRO

As the spiritual home of volleyball in Brazil, the Maracanãzinho was the natural choice for hosting the sport at Rio 2016.

Images: Rio 2016

Nicholas Rider

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