With exactly one month to go until the start of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the Main Press Centre (MPC) opened its doors to the world's media on Tuesday (5 July).

The state-of-the-art building, about 27,000 square metres in area, will be the main base for the 6,000 journalists of all nationalities who have been granted accreditation for the Games. The MPC is located in Barra Olympic Park, in the heart of the main cluster of Olympic venues for Rio 2016.

It is from the MPC that some of the most powerful and emotional stories of the year will be sent around the world, delivering the magic of the Games to billions of people.

From Japan to Brazil

On Tuesday, the first journalists moved into their new home. The first tenants include Agence France Presse (AFP), Japanese media outlets Yomuri Shimbum, Asahi and Kyodo News, photographic agency Getty Images, Sports Illustrated magazine, specialist website Around the Rings and Brazilian magazine Veja.

Facilities for journalists at the MPC include a centre for media accreditation, a medical facility, a pharmacy, bank, post office, laundrette and even an official Rio 2016 store. Journalists will also be able to validate their accreditations at the newly renovated international airport when they arrive.

A team of 723 volunteers have completed their initial training and will be working on-site at the MPC. "After a lot of work the time has come to put into practice everything that we have planned for," workforce manager Ana Mathias says. "We are all very excited."

From 29 July, the MPC will be open for business 24/7. Until then, it will function from 7am to 10pm.