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Classic, cool or popular? Medal ceremonies get restyled for Rio Games

Olympic athletes receive medals
Silver medalist Thiago Pereira of Brazil, Gold medalist Ryan Lochte of the United States and Bronze medalist Kosuke Hagino of Japan celebrate with their medals during the Medal Ceremony for the Men’s 400m Individual Medley on Day One of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre on July 28, 2012 in London, England. (Getty)

The 2016 Rio Olympics will mark a number of firsts – the first time in history that a South American country has hosted the Games and the first time golf has been included as an event in more than 100 years, to name a few. Rio de Janeiro will also be the first games in Olympic history to feature different kinds of medal ceremonies based on the styles of individual sports.

The three different types of ceremonies in which athletes well receive their medals – traditional, popular, or cool – will feature different kinds of music and presenter wardrobe intended to reflect the character of the sports.

“There are so many sports in the summer Olympics and some of them are so different,” explained Christy Nicolay, executive producer of sports presentations. “For example the music at gymnastics would be very different to BMX, or beach volleyball would be very different to fencing. So we wanted three different styles of ceremonies.”

Medals in “traditional” sports, such as gymnastics, fencing, tennis and equestrian, will be presented in more formal ceremonies featuring traditional music and medal presenters dressed in formal blazers.

Athletes who mount the podium in “popular” sports, such as basketball, track and field, road cycling and soccer, will receive their medals to the sounds of pop music from presenters dressed in sporty jackets emblazoned with an orange stripe.

Medal ceremonies for “cool” sports, such as BMX, mountain biking and beach volleyball, will be set to a soundtrack of Brazilian Carioca funk music and feature jacketless presenters with their sleeves rolled up.

“For the first time ever we have three different styles of victory ceremonies,” Nicolay said. “This is my eighth Olympic Games and I’ve always wanted to do this. And music in Brazil is so amazing that it’s a great opportunity to show that.”

The “traditional” track.

The “popular” track.

The “cool” track.