RIO DE JANEIRO- A timeline of events leading up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

October 2009 - Rio de Janeiro is chosen ahead of Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

October 2009 - Rugby sevens is added to the Rio 2016 Olympic schedule; golf is reintroduced after a 112-year absence.

March 2010 - The mayors of Rio de Janeiro and 2010 Winter Olympics host Vancouver sign a cooperation deal to "exchange information and experiences".

January 2011 - Rio unveils its official Olympic logo.

August 2012 - Brazilian samba dancers take center stage in the final minutes of the London 2012 Olympic closing ceremony, marking the start of the road to Rio.

April 2013 - The Maracana stadium - home to the Rio 2016 opening and closing ceremonies - is reopened after nearly three years of renovations.

April 2014 - IOC vice-president John Coates says Rio's Olympic preparations are the "worst" he's seen.

August 2014 - Rio stages its first official test event: a sailing regatta in Guanabara Bay.

November 2014 - Organizers announce Vinicius and Tom as the official Rio 2016 mascots. Vinicius is a hybrid of native Brazilian animals and Tom is a mix of local plants.

March 30, 2016 - Brazil's sports minister George Hilton resigns just four months before the Games after his party, PMDB, ends its coalition alliance with the government.

April 21, 2016 - Greek actress Katerina Lehou lights the Olympic torch in the southern Greek city of Olympia, the Games' birthplace.