The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Committee for Rio 2016 visited the main competition sites in the city on Thursday.

The tour of Rio de Janeiro started in Copacabana and, after passing by Sambódromo (the stage of the Rio Carnival parade that will host the archery and marathon events in 2016), the commission members arrived at the Deodoro complex, which proved to be the high point of the day. 

After visiting the National Centres for Equestrian and Shooting, venues constructed for the 2007 Pan-American Games that will be renovated for the Rio 2016 Games, the commission members said they were impressed by how well the two structures had been maintained and with Deodoro's overall potential for integrating the Games.

In the afternoon, the group visited the Olympic Park and Village, both in Barra da Tijuca. At the Village, the commission members saw the intensive work being carried out to construct 31 buildings, each with 17 storeys, that will host the athletes - the stars of the show - in 2016.

The IOC visitors were accompanied by Eduardo Paes, the Mayor of Rio, along with the organising committee's main executives.

The IOC team saw the progress being made with their own eyes (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)

At the Olympic Park, the commission saw the metal structures that are being mounted in the construction of the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), from where the images of the Games will be beamed around the world.

The tour ended at the site of the Olympic Golf Course in Barra, where the group arrived around 5pm, in time to see the sunset. 

Thursday's venue visits took place on the second of three days of the sixth Coordination Commission meeting in Rio. The event, which takes place every six months, also involves a series of presentations by the Games organisers, showing the progress that has been made on the project since the IOC's last visit.

The Coordination Commission's job is to monitor this progress and provide expert advice and support to the Games organisers.