
From the Zika virus to poisoned water and much more besides, it is an Olympic Games plagued by problems. And that’s before it even began.

When the events finally got under way yesterday, things were no different – with a sequence of chaotic episodes.

The tone was set at Friday’s opening ceremony, which, despite some delightful sequences, saw rows of empty seats and the deeply unpopular interim Brazilian President’s speech drowned out by an angry crowd.

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Despite some delightful sequences, the Olympic opening ceremony saw rows of empty seats and the deeply unpopular interim Brazilian President’s speech drowned out by an angry crowd

Yesterday, though, a shambolic Day One of Rio 2016 saw:

- Athletes compete in front of empty stands as ‘mile-long’ queues to enter venues led to thousands of fans missing events. The mother of British swimming gold medal hope Adam Peaty, Caroline Peaty, feared she would miss his swimming heat – in which he broke a world record.

- Officials reportedly try to speed up the entry process by abandoning X-ray machine checks – raising concerns over security.

- Tensions rise across the city after police shot dead a mugger near the opening ceremony venue – and a woman was killed by robbers in a separate incident near another Olympic site.

- Bomb squad officers cause panic by carrying out a controlled explosion near the finishing line of the men’s cycle race, an event which brought disappointment for Team GB.

Call that a mascot? It looks more like a cartoon dustbin than a symbol of the spirit of Brazil, but the official Olympic mascot is actually a yellow cat-like creature called Vinicius

The organisers had hoped the Games would get under way with the ‘sexiest’ opening ceremony ever on Friday night. But while it was not without charm, many were left feeling that it was a bit of an odd concoction, with too many sacrifices made to political correctness – a dreary lecture on climate change being one example. If only the organisers had concentrated more on what Rio does best.

As one elderly Brazilian man in the crowd noted: ‘For one thing the samba girls are too covered up – they should be nearly nude.’

The supersize samba: Not all Brazilian women are stick-thin supermodels like Gisele Bundchen, and hundreds of vibrant Samba Queens of all shapes and sizes were there to show the world how to party

Perhaps, as some suspected, the heavy hand of the American networks, who paid billions for the TV rights, was to blame. Were the girls covered up to appease Bible-bashers in Kansas?

It didn’t auger well when Pele, who had been due to light the Olympic cauldron, pulled out at the last minute.

There were some breathtaking set-pieces, though, and plenty of fireworks and colour to admire. In the end it was the music that really stirred the audience... Samba legend Paulinho da Viola, in a gleaming blue suit, strumming the national anthem and, of course, the bossa nova classic The Girl From Ipanema.

Inevitably there were those who felt it was all done on the cheap (and compared to the previous ceremonies in London and Beijing, much less had indeed been spent) with, at times, too much reliance on smoke-and-mirror visual effects. But with Brazil experiencing political and economic turmoil, when it came to cost, the organisers were damned either way.

As it was, many in Rio felt the Games should never have gone ahead and throughout Friday there were demonstrations across the city to underline this message.

At first they seemed largely good-natured, but later grew ugly, culminating in violence near the Maracana Stadium before the ceremony began.

Inside, volunteers in red shirts were drafted in to fill the empty seats.

Despite being part of the official programme, interim President Michel Temer, who took power in May in a controversial impeachment process, was not introduced as the opening ceremony began.

In fact, he was nowhere to be found. Spectators nudged each other. ‘Where is he? Is he really this scared?’ they asked. Three hours later, he appeared. In an apparent attempt to minimise any unpleasantness, he was not introduced by name or title. A voice simply started talking. Quickly. But within seconds, the crowd cottoned on and booing and pre-recorded cheering designed to counter it drowned out the second half of his speech.

Flight of fantasy: A sequence celebrating the 'first' aeroplane flight in Brazil raised eyebrows - it occurred three years after the Wright brothers first got one off the ground in the US

The weird catwalk: Supermodel Gisele Bundchen stole the show, but all the ex-girlfriend of Leo DiCaprio had to do was sashay down a catwalk to the bossa nova Sixties classic The Girl from Ipanema

Organisers apologised yesterday for the queueing problems at the venues. ‘We are fully aware of the problem and frustration,’ a Rio 2016 spokesman said.

‘We requested that the relevant authorities increase the speed and effectiveness that people can enter the park by requesting that more employees are working on the X-ray machines.

‘Following improvements the lines are now back to normal.’

Meanwhile, there were claims that Russia is set to be banned from the Paralympics later this month. The International Paralympic Committee is expected to do what its Olympic counterpart did not and exclude Russia outright. It is expected to announce the decision publicly today.

Not all Brazilian women are stick-thin supermodels like Gisele Bündchen, and hundreds of vibrant Samba Queens of all shapes and sizes were there to show the world how to party.

It looks more like a cartoon dustbin than a symbol of the spirit of Brazil, but the official Olympic mascot is actually a yellow cat-like creature called Vinicius.

It was billed as the greatest show on Earth, but these empty seats suggest that the four-hour opening ceremony stadium was not everyone’s idea of entertainment.

A sequence celebrating the the ‘first’ aeroplane flight in Brazil raised eyebrows – it occurred three years after the Wright brothers first got one off the ground in the US.

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen stole the show, but all the ex girlfriend of Leo DiCaprio had to do was sashay down a catwalk to the bossa nova Sixties classic The Girl from Ipanema.

PS After making a hash of carrying the GB flag in rehearsal, Andy Murray made sure it was all right on the night.

After the oohs and the boos, it’s mile-long venue queues and Olympic-size chaos