Although the preponderance of yellow shirts made it clear that home fans were in the majority, there was no denying the international flavour in the Barra Olympic Park provided by visitors from all parts of the globe. And, this being the Olympic Games, nothing could be more natural.

Though it was a hot day, especially for those queuing to enter the Olympic Park, many focused on simply enjoying the atmosphere and joining in the spirit of the Games. American visitor Jennifer Maher and her daughter, Emma, staying in a hotel near the venue cluster, told Rio2016.com that their trip was made with the intention of supporting Team USA athletes. Since arriving in Rio, however, they have immersed themselves in the cultural exchanges that the Olympic host city offers.

“It’s an experience that I’ll remember all my life,” Jennifer said. “You have all the world’s nationalities together in the same place, in peace. It’s a wonderful thing to see.”

For Jennifer and Emma, cultural exchanges are as important as sport (Photo: Rio 2016/Ernesto Neves)

On a warm, sunny day, the fans stopped constantly to take selfies, dance to drumming and revel in the first day of the first Olympic Games in South America.

French judoka Thibaut Dicko had to save to get to Rio. His group includes 33 people and was organised by his trainer in Paris. “I had to plan for it over three years, but you can’t put a price on a dream,” Thibaut said. “Above all, the Games are taking place in Rio. It’s the most beautiful city I’ve visited,” he added.

It took Thibaut three years of financial planning to make it to Rio (Photo: Rio 2016/Ernesto Neves)

Apart from enjoying the competitions, visitors took the opportunity to take in the huge Olympic Park. This is the heart of the Rio 2016 Games, where 16 sports will take place. Covering 1.18 million square metres in one of the most beautiful parts of the city, the park is surrounded by mountains and the Jacarepaguá lagoon.

Although some fans had to queue for longer than expected to enter, the Games organising committee said it was working to quickly improve the entry procedure. 

"First we apologise to everybody who was standing in the sun and in line outside the venues," said Rio 2016 executive communications director Mario Andrada. "We obviously need to upgrade that part of the game. We need to fix this within the next couple of hours."

The Olympic Park lies between the mountains and a lagoon (Photo: Rio 2016/Ernesto Neves)

Japanese immigrant Murakoshi Toshie, who is now based in São Paulo, came to Rio for work. She will be in charge of the traditional tea ceremony at the Japan House, a cultural space organised by the country for the duration of the Games.

“I mainly came to watch the judo, being a fan of martial arts,” she said.

Murakoshi Toshie (in blue) and her friend Eumiko Maruta and children (Photo: Rio 2016/Ernesto Neves)

The sun may be nothing unusual for cariocas, but Danish sisters Lise and Lesnie Mikkelsen were surprised by the heat of the Rio winter. “Even in the summer it doesn’t get this hot in Denmark,” said Lise.

The pair have a marathon of competitions ahead of them, including tennis, badminton, gymnastics and swimming. “Rio is very special. Even without speaking Portuguese, everyone tries to help us and make us feel welcome,” Lise added.

American Belden Golden agreed, saying: "Once you get in here, it's very nice. The people are real friendly here." 

Brazilian Alan Ferreira said: "I'm so proud because Brazil has done a good job."

A sunny surprise: Lise (R) and Lesnie Mikkelsen (Photo: Rio 2016/Ernesto Neves)

Rio 2016 tickets can be bought here