The Summer Olympics kicked off on August 5th and came to a conclusion on August 21st. Despite the skepticism that occurred months before the games began, the games went without many major problems and was a success overall.

The Olympics featured a whopping 11,303 athletes from 207 countries. Two new events were added to the Olympics this year: Golf and Rugby Sevens, a form of Rugby where there are only 7 players on each team. This year also marked the first time the Olympics were held in a South American country.

Team USA had a very impressive year, winning the most gold medals (46) and the most medals overall (121) out of every country competing. Some athletes in particular exceeded expectations and brought home the gold. Swimmer Michael Phelps won five gold medals and one silver medal, adding to his title of most decorated olympian of all time (28 total medals won). Simone Biles, part of the gymnastics team, won four gold medals (one medal being from the Individual All-Around) and one bronze medal.

Katie Ledecky, a swimmer for the U.S, beat a previous record for the Women’s 400m Freestyle with her time of 3:56.46 (previous record was 4:01.45). 19 year old Ginny Thrasher, a part of Team USA, took home a gold medal in the 100m Air Rifle Women’s Event. She clocked in at 208.0, beating Chinese competitor Du Li’s extremely close time of 207.0.

Although the games went undisturbed, there were still a few issues, some of which that where quite unusual. Team USA did a good job but swimmer Ryan Lochte’s false claims about being robbed in Rio and attempts to cover up the incident, added a negative image to the type of integrity that we expect in athletes. Another mistake that occurred involved the pool designated for the diving events; due to poor sanitation, it turned a emerald green color.

Senior Omar Tapia said,” It (the Summer Olympics) was a success but some sports had problems, like diving or weightlifting. I would say everything went great because there were no major accidents.”

Although the Olympics had problems, it is still a year for the books. Brazil’s success was only possible with preparation and worldwide support. This year showed that almost any country can hold one of the world’s most historic and beloved event. Hopefully, Los Angeles is ready and receives the opportunity to hold the games in 2024.