News Want to be in the know about the Olympic and Paralympic Games? Fancy testing your sporting knowledge and competing for prizes? Then the new Rio 2016 app, launched on Monday (25 January), is for you My Rio 2016, as it is called, provides all the important information about the Games and will offer the most active users the chance to win official Rio 2016 products With regular competitions, trivia quizzes and full integration with social networks, anyone who downloads the app can compete with friends, collect ‘medals’ and amass points At the end of each week, a ranking of the most active fans on the platform will be published, and those with the most points will receive a prize The app brings together information about Olympic and Paralympic sports, news about the organisation of the Games and athletes, and job opportunities There’s also something for those hoping to volunteer at the Games: a tool that allows candidates to follow their application during different stages of the selection process ‘Rio 2016 Spirit’ challenge offers tickets for opening ceremonyUp to April 2016, there will be four one-month challenges offering prizes The first is a photograph contest, already live, where participants are invited to share images that symbolise the Olympic and Paralympic spirit Entrants who are over 18 can win pairs of tickets for the opening ceremony There is a special award for youngsters under 18: the best images will be evaluated by artist and photographer Vik Muniz – a well-known Brazilian name in the international art world and one of the creative directors for the Paralympic ceremonies – alongside writer Marcelo Rubens Paiva and designer Fred Gelli The winning photographs will adorn the bedrooms of the athletes’ village Download the app free of charge for iOS and Android There will also be a web version available soon |