The Rio 2016 Olympic games are officially kicking things off today, and Google is allowing anyone with access to the internet to tour the inside of every official Rio Olympic Venue. As stated in their Google Maps Blog today, Google Maps is “going for the win with the Rio updates” and the changes will be accessible to anyone who is there on the ground or exploring Maps from another country. Maps is, of course, just one of the services that Google operates that are getting the Rio 2016 treatment, as they will be streaming video broadcast highlights in over 60 countries through YouTube, as well as letting people catch up on all of the latest details by asking for key information in Search, like medals won, information about specific teams and athletes, and more.
Google is also only a handful of companies who are letting users have access to information regarding the Summer games, as Samsung opened up Galaxy Studios at the Olympics in Rio for event goers. This is alongside apps such as Snapchat who just added Olympic-themed filters, stickers, and lenses in an update today, while apps such as theScore are now allowing users to catch up on all things Rio 2016 as well.
As for Maps, Google allows access to 12 outdoor official Rio 2016 Olympic venues which Google states were updated, and there also now a total of 25 indoor venues that can be explored which were just added in a recent update to the Maps app. This lets anyone who wasn’t able to attend the games check things out like they were there so they can feel like a part of the action, and it continues Google’s mission to add more content into Street View that lets people wander around new places and locations from the comfort of their own home, or anywhere, really. Perhaps you weren’t able to attend the games in Rio this Summer, and it’s unlikely that most people will be able to view every single event and get to see the surrounding venue, so this new series of updates to Maps gives some assistance to users who wish to experience some of it in one way or another.
