We are a mere few hours away from the opening ceremonies one of the world's premier sporting events: the Summer Olympic games.
Hosted this time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the 2016 Olympics will once again bring together representatives from nations around the globe for competitions in events ranging from gymnastics, swimming and track & field to soccer and basketball.
A total of 32 Aggies — including 27 athletes — will be among them.
Twenty current or former Texas A&M students will help comprise the roster and coaching staffs for the track & field teams of the United States, Grenada, Guyana, Nigera, Jamaica, Australia, Trinidad & Tobago, the Bahamas and Zambia.
Aggie representation in swimming & diving will number eight, scattered across the USA, Jamaica, Mexico, Tonga, France, Australia and Canada.
DeAndre Jordan and Antanas Kavaliauskas will represent the United States and Lithuania, respectively, on the basketball court, while Aggie Soccer's Stephanie Mahlerbe will participate on the pitch for South Africa.
Lastly, A&M assistant media relations director Shawn Price will serve as a part of NBC's media relations staff in Rio.
Follow the latest news from the #AggiesinRio hashtag here:
The
Texas A&M athletics site's dedicated Rio 2016 page lists each Aggie participant, along with a calendar of events and further details. (Also see
Team USA's Rio 2016 page and
NBC's live stream schedule.)
Basically, be prepared to tune in every day for the next two weeks.
Opening ceremonies begin at 6 pm Central, with coverage on NBC starting at 7:00.
A hearty gig 'em to all the Ags realizing their dreams at the Games.