The clock is ticking down and the tension is rising. There are now just four months to go until the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The pressure is on the athletes, many of whom are immersed in the final stages of qualification, and also on the organising committee. April is the busiest month in the test event calendar, with a eight competitions taking place in 10 different sport disciplines. Seven events will take place in Barra Olympic Park, and two venues will be used for test events for the very first time.

Barra Olympic Park will host seven test events in May (Photo: Brasil 2016/Gabriel Heusi)

Weightlifting (7-10 April) – Carioca Arena 1

Carioca Arena 1, which has already been used for basketball, powerlifting and taekwondo, will play host to some of the strongest athletes in the Olympic Games. One hundred and twenty weightlifters from 13 countries will compete in the South American championships, starting this Friday.

Fernando Reis is one of the athletes who will take part in the weightlifting test event (Photo: Getty Images/Ezra Shaw)

Shooting (14-25 April) – Olympic Shooting Centre

The test event will be the final shoot-out for the Brazilian athletes: the country’s team of nine competitors will be finalised this month. Six names have already been decided. More than 30 of the 45 medallists from London 2012 will compete in the ISSF World Cup for Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun, which will not be open to the public.

The World Cup will finalise the names of the Brazilain team for the Rio 2016 Games (Photo: Getty Images/Lars Baron)

Swimming (15-20 April) – Olympic Aquatics Stadium

There’s a different flavour to the traditional Maria Lenk Trophy tournament in Rio this year. As well as serving as a test event for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the event is being held in a new venue. The tournament will be the first competition hosted by the Olympic Aquatics Stadium. The rewards for success couldn’t be higher for Brazilian swimmers: the event will be their last chance to qualify for the Games.

The test event will be Cesar Cielo's last chance to qualify for the Olympic Games (Photo: Getty Images/Adam Pretty)

Gymnastics (16-22 April) – Rio Olympic Arena

The world’s top athletes in three gymnastic disciplines are coming to Rio to compete in the final Olympic qualifier. This is their last chance to secure their place in the Games. Emotion and tension are guaranteed!

The test event will be the last chance for athletes in the three Olympic gymnastics disciplines to qualify (Photo: Getty Images)

Paralympic Swimming (22-24 April) – Olympic Aquatics Stadium

The new Olympic Aquatics Stadium will welcome leading Paralympic swimmers from around the world for the Paralympic Swimming International Open. Brazilian team members including Daniel Dias and André Brasil will be taking part, and the competition will be an opportunity for other swimmers to qualify for the Games.

Daniel Dias will be one of the top stars at the the test event (Photo: Getty Images/Ian McNicol)

Fencing (23 to 27 April) – Carioca Arena 3

En garde: fencing is coming to the Barra Olympic Park. The test event will take place in Carioca Arena 3, with three competitions: men’s team sabre, women’s team foil and the individual epee.

The test event for fencing will take place at Carioca Arena 3 (Photo: Getty Images/Donald Miralle)

Water Polo (25-29 April) – Olympic Aquatics Stadium

The day after the completion of the test event for Paralympic swimming, the Olympic Aquatics Stadium will host its third and final competition before the Rio 2016 Games: the Water Polo Tournament. In total, 60 athletes from four countries (Brazil, United States, China and Canada) will participate. The competition will not be open to the public and will not count towards Olympic qualification.

Tony Azevedo from the USA will be one of the stars at the test event (Photo: Getty Images/Jeff Gross)

Handball (29 April-1 May) – Future Arena

Rounding out the month of April will be the handball competitors. The International Men’s Handball Tournament will be the first event to be held in the Future Arena in the Barra Olympic Park. Sixty-four athletes from four countries (Brazil, the United States, Cuba and Uruguay) will participate in the competition.

The Brazilian team will be expected to perform well at the test event (Photo: Getty Images/Ezra Shaw)

Four more events to come in May

The month of May will see the last of the test events for the Rio 2016 Games. The final pre-Games event in Barra Olympic Park will be goalball (4-5 May) in the Future Arena. The Brazilian team will host Finland, the United States and Lithuania – a tournament featuring the world's top-four countries in the sport. 

Three test events at the Olympic Stadium will complete the programme: athletics (14-16 May), Paralympic athletics (18-21 May) and football (22 May).

Athletes such as Fabiana Murer will be testing the Olympic Stadium in May (Photo: Getty Images/Buda Mendes)

The finishing straight for the test events: only 12 out of 44 still to go

Thirty-two test events have been completed so far, 12 of them in the first 10 weeks of 2016. Check out video highlights: