Adriana Behar, a silver medal-winning Olympic beach volleyball player in the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Games, said Rio is "fabulous." Even at two or three in the morning, it's common to see employees from hotels and restaurants playing beach football by floodlight at the end of their long shifts. What's different here is that Cariocas also rise for rowing, paddleboarding, group swimming in the Atlantic, climbing on Sugarloaf Mountain, surfing, skateboarding, football, volleyball -- the list goes on. "Cariocas go to the beach to sunbathe, but it's also to play sport and to have fun with friends and family. "There's a cult of having a good time" and Rio has the public space to let that happen, Melo said.

Source: Bangkok Post July 30, 2016 03:56 UTC