Rio de Janeiro once again demonstrated its conviviality in hosting big events of various styles this past weekend. Over a typically sunny couple of days, thousands of cariocas were on the city streets to participate in sports competitions and popular celebrations in a unique atmosphere of fraternity, organization, efficiency and safety.

Many participants took public transport to the events, attesting to the city’s management capabilities. More than 15,000 runners from many countries participated in the International Half Marathon, part of the World Half Marathon Championships, across 21 kilometers of beach, including Copacabana, one of the most famous tourist destinations in Brazil.

Throughout the day, Copacabana celebrated diversity in entirely dissimilar events. In the morning, a religious procession honoring Brazil’s patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, attracted more than 1,000 motorcyclists. In the afternoon, 1.5 million Gay Parade revelers danced to the sound of 23 different sound systems along the shore. The two pageants displayed respect for their differences in an environment of warmth and happiness.

At the internationally-known Maracanã Stadium, the attraction was a Brazilian Championship game between Flamengo and Atlético-MG, which boasted more than 80,000 fans in the audience. Next door, at the Maracanãzinho gymnasium, Brazil beat Italy in a second phase qualifier game for the FIFA Futsal World Cup.