The Rio 2016™ Organising Committee launched in late May the Spanish and French versions of the official website of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In addition to the websites in Portuguese and English launched on 31 December 2010, Rio2016.com now provides information in its static part in two other languages. The Games are a world class event, and the goal is to reach as many people as possible around the world.

The choice was not random. Spanish is the official language of nine (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) of the 12 countries in South America, which, through the Rio 2016™ Games, will host the event for the first time ever. Spanish is the world’s fourth most spoken language, only behind Mandarin, Hindi and English.

French is spoken mainly in France and Canada, in addition to several countries in West and Central Africa. In South America, French is the official language of French Guiana, an overseas department of France. The three South American countries where Spanish is not the official language are: Brazil, Guyana and Suriname.

Several sections of the Rio2016.com website are now available in two new languages. The "The Games" section, for example, presents numbers on the Olympics and Paralympics, details on sports, information about the competition venues and the brands’ pillars. In the "Committee" section, users understand a bit more about the operation of the Organising Committee, and the "Rio de Janeiro" section provides information about the history, culture and attractions of the city.