Games tidbits

CEREMONY

Rave reviews for oily Pita

Tonga flagbearer Pita Taufatofua became the online star of the Games' opening ceremony after striding through the parade bare-chested, torso dripping with oil and wearing only a traditional ta'ovala mat round his waist.

The taekwondo athlete racked up 45 million mentions on Twitter, according to the official Games website, and the normally staid Wall Street Journal hailed perhaps "the grandest entrance by any flagbearer in recent history".

Taufatofua's Rio exploits also made headlines in his tiny South Pacific homeland, where the Matangi Tonga news site said he was "the hottest man today in a town that's known for its appreciation of the body beautiful".

TELEVISION

Drastic drop in network numbers

An estimated 26.5 million US citizens watched NBC's coverage of the opening ceremony, a sharp 35 percent drop from the record-setting viewership of the curtain-raiser in London four years ago, which was seen by 40.7 million viewers in the US.

The network suggested the gap will be narrowed when details about time-shifted viewing and people who streamed Friday night's telecast on mobile devices become available in coming days.

The four-year difference was much kinder to NBC the last time around, when Beijing's opening ceremony in 2008 reached 34.9 million, according to the Nielsen company.

ACCIDENT

Stray bullet flies into media center

A stray bullet cut through the plastic roof of the equestrian media center on Saturday, alarming journalists and underlining concerns about Rio de Janeiro's ability to guarantee security at the world's biggest sporting event.

No one was injured in the incident. The equestrian venue is sited next to a military complex.

"It was a stray bullet and has nothing to do with the Games," Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada said, adding that security around the venue had been increased as a precaution.

HISTORY

Volunteer hooked on camaraderie

A Nevada woman who is headed to Rio de Janeiro to experience her sixth Olympics went to her first Summer Games as a spectator 20 years ago and ended up getting hooked on the camaraderie and sharing of international cultures.

Louise Feller was in Atlanta in 1996 when she decided to get another view of the events as a volunteer. The 67-year-old has decorated her home with photographs and collages she's made to remind her of the time she's spent as a volunteer at the Olympics in Salt Lake City, London, Athens, Beijing and Turin, Italy.

ALLEGATIONS

Moroccan boxer in assault claim

Moroccan boxer Hassan Saada, who has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two female cleaners, "doesn't understand the allegations", the Moroccan Boxing Federation said on Saturday.

Officers arrested Saada, 22, on suspicion of committing the assault on Wednesday.

"According to investigations, on Aug 3, the athlete sexually assaulted two Brazilian room cleaners who were working in the athletes' village," a police statement said.

Saada is accused of calling the cleaners to his room on the pretext of asking them a question and then improperly touched them. The women managed to escape.