In 2009, the city of Rio de Janeiro was announced as the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games (Rio 2016). For this event, the Brazilian government, in partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), undertook the task of monitoring the air quality in the city. This study discusses the PM10, PM2.5, and O3 profiles at ten sampling sites located near the arenas in 2016, including during the Olympic Games period. At all sampling stations, the annual mean values of PM10 and PM2.5 were below either Brazilian air quality standards or United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) guidelines. In addition, no violations lasting 24 h were observed for particulate matter in 2016. Only two ozone episodes occurred in 2016, both in Campos dos Afonsos (163 and 195 μg m-3) near the extreme sports arena. However, during the pre-Olympic period (2013-2015), in the same area were registered 16, 81, and 18 violations per year, respectively. The results showed an improvement in air quality in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The reduction in pollutant levels, especially O3 and PM2.5, is probably due to the conclusion of the structural construction of the Olympic arenas and efforts to improve urban mobility.
Keywords: Air quality; O3; Olympic Games; PM10; PM2.5.