The curtain may be coming down on the sporting events of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, but the impact of the world's greatest sporting festival will be felt long into the city's future.

On the morning of Monday (22 August), Rio de Janeiro will wake up as a very different city to what it was before the Games. From new metro lines in western Rio to a vast urban regeneration project in the port district, to new museums, artworks and schools, there are few corners of the city and few aspects of carioca life that have not been touched by the investments that have accompanied the Games.

The Olympic Games have also put Rio at the centre of the world's map, shining a global spotlight on a city that is rediscovering its vocation as a magnet for tourists, business travellers and other visitors.

Rio prepares for party of a lifetime as city enters final countdown to Olympic Games

Here are just a few of the many legacies of Rio 2016.

New Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines

A new 26km road has been opened that links the western neighbourhoods of Deodoro and Recreio, cutting journey times by 60 per cent. An exclusive Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line running along the road connects the two regions with a modern mass transport option for the first time.

New road with exclusive bus corridor links main Olympic zones in Rio

The Olympic Boulevard and the waterfront district

 Praça Mauá was packed for the Brazil-Germany Olympic football final (Photo: Rio 2016/Saulo Pereira Guimarães

The Olympic Boulevard in the waterfront area was popular beyond the wildest dream of Rio 2016 organisers, with the bars, bands and other attractions along its 3.5km length attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors by night and day. Combined with the arrival of a high-tech tram network, the success of the Boulevard has sealed the emergence of a once-neglected part of the city as a centre of leisure and nightlife.

Rejuvenated waterfront and anchored ships to welcome guests during Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Professional training

Rio 2016 offered English language training not only to employees and volunteers but also to taxi drivers. In total, more than 20,000 drivers and 30,000 volunteers had access to free online English courses.

Hotel capacity

Since 2009, when it was chosen as host city, Rio de Janeiro has built about 30,000 new hotel rooms. That will increase the competitiveness of the city as a tourism destination and keep a lid on room prices in the future. In the month of August alone, Rio received more than half a million visitors; the city is back on the world tourism map with a vengeance.

Education

The Future Arena in Barra Olympic Park (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)

Two venues in the main Olympic Park, the Future Arena and Carioca Arena 3, will be transformed into educational facilities; the Future Arena will be dismantled and reassembled as four state schools, while Carioca Arena 3 will become a public sports training centre. The Olympic Aquatics Stadium will be taken down and rebuilt as two smaller aquatics venues after the Games.

Rio 2016 venue for taekwondo, fencing and Paralympic judo unveiled in Olympic Park

Canoe slalom, Future Arena and golf course... three more Rio 2016 venues ready

Healthcare

When the Games are over, much of the state-of-the-art equipment used in the health centre at the athletes' village will be donated to public hospitals in Rio.

A new-look Maracanãzinho

One of the temples of Brazilian volleyball and basketball, the indoor venue was fully renovated in time for Rio 2016. It now looks like a sure bet to host major international sporting events in the future.

A new-look Sambódromo

 Sambódromo: the Carnival venue got a new look thanks to Rio 2016 (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)

Every year, the Sambódromo plays host to the world-famous parade of samba schools during Carnival. The structure, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, was expanded and renovated for Rio 2016; a legacy that will be treasured for countless Carnivals to come.

Competitors and international federation hail Rio 2016 archery test event

Metro Line 4

Shortly before the start of the Games, Metro Line 4 began operating, connecting Rio's famous southern neighbourhoods of Ipanema and Copacabana to Barra da Tijuca in the west. When fully operational, it should transport 300,000 passengers per day.

Bus Rapid Transit (2)

Running from the beginning of Metro Line 4 to the Olympic Park, a new section of BRT now crosses almost the entire length of Barra da Tijuca, one of Rio's newest and fastest growing neighbourhoods.

Public art

One of the most popular new attractions in downtown Rio is this giant work of street art by Eduardo Kobra, a massive mural inspired by the values of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

‘We are all connected,’ says street artist creating record-breaking mural for Rio 2016 Games

Sustainability

Rio 2016 has aimed to be the most sustainable Games in history. By using existing and temporary venues, organisers have avoided creating 'white elephants', while the use of 'nomadic architecture' will allow the Future Arena to be taken down and reconstructed as four public school, while the Olympic Aquatics Stadium will also be taken down and reused elsewhere. The construction of the Olympic Golf Course resulted in the recovery of 44 hectares of natural landscape and increased local biodiversity. The Rio 2016 medals were made with gold that was mined without the use of mercury, while the silver and bronze medals consist of 30 per cent recycled material. Rio 2016 also formed a partnerhsip with the UN's 'Green Passport' scheme to promote sustainable tourism arounnd the Games.

Rio 2016 receives top global sustainability certificate for organisation of major events

A model of sustainability, Olympic Aquatics Stadium for Rio 2016 Games is unveiled

Rio 2016 to leave a legacy of low carbon emissions

Read more about sustainability and the Rio 2016 Games

 

Sports training centres

There is a direct correlation between the number of Olympic medals a country wins and its investment in high-performance sports training. As well as Carioca Arena 3 being transformed into a sports school, Carioca Arena 1 will form part of the Olympic Training Centre (OTC), along with three other new venues: Carioca Arena 2, the Olympic Tennis Centre and Rio Olympic Velodrome.

Introducing Carioca Arena 1… the new home of Olympic basketball

 A new-look Olympic Stadium

The Olympic Stadium in northern Rio has been extensively renovated (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)

During Rio 2016, the Olympic Stadium became the home-from-home for Usain Bolt and other stars of track and field. After the end of the Games, the venue will revert to its former function as a stadium mainly for football. But nothing will be the same as before 2016; the entire region around the so-called Engenhão has been regenerated and revitalised.

New-look Olympic Stadium to host Rio 2016 athletics test event

Museums

In the run-up to Rio 2016, the city opened the doors of two breathtaking museums in the once neglected port district; the award winning Art Museum of Rio and the spectacular Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã). This year, the Olympic City museum, a high-technology attraction near the Olympic Stadium, has added yet another stop to visitors' checklists.

Science meets art at Museum of Tomorrow

A look inside the Olympic City museum with Rio 2016 Tom and Vinicius (Photo: Cidade Olímpica)