Rio unveils Olympic test event calendar

Rio de Janeiro: All but two of the 45 test events for the Rio 2016 Olympics will be held within a year of the Games` opening ceremony, the local organising committee said on Monday.

The first trial event -- sailing -- is currently underway at the Gloria Marina while the marathon will be tested next July, Xinhua reported citing a draft calendar. An additional 43 test events covering 22 sports will be held in the final year before the Games begin Aug 5. "Test events are a vital part of the preparations for staging the Games, providing the opportunity to put all our planning into practice," test events general manager Delphine Moulin said. "They also present an invaluable chance to integrate the organising committee`s team with the international and national sports federations and government teams, who also have a crucial role to play in the delivery of the Games." According to Moulin, the test events will be grouped into three categories. Open-air sports like rowing, road cycling and equestrian will be trialled from July to October next year. Tests for indoor events like table tennis, boxing and wheelchair rugby will be staged from November 2015 to February 2016. A third cluster, from March to May 2016, will feature events with a large number of disciplines like athletics and swimming.