The Olympic Games are finally here.

All we’ve heard in the last weeks is bad press about Rio de Janeiro, be it the city’s crime rate, foul water, sub-standard Olympic Village or the Zika virus.

But opening ceremonies are always spectacular and this edition should be no different.

Held at the iconic Maracana stadium in Rio, proceedings get underway at 9am (AEST), with millions of viewers expected to tune in.

These are the five things you should be looking out for.

Production values … on a budget

Organisers of the showpiece event aren’t working with a big budget by Olympic standards given Brazil’s financial and political woes.

There are reports the opening ceremony theatrics have been organised with only 10 per cent of the budget that the London 2012 games had access to.

There’s to be a lot of Samba going on, an explosion of colour, enormous head-dresses, exotic costumes on scantily clad men and women — think feathers, jewels, body paint.

More than 6,000 volunteers will dance in the ceremony.

The city’s famous beaches look set to get a nod and home-grown supermodel Gisele Bundchen is rumoured to make an appearance as the Girl from Ipanema.

Another rumoured appearance is pop superstar Katy Perry.

Maybe Left Shark — who stole the show when his dance moves went rogue during the 2015 Super Bowl half-time show — can make a comeback to save some of the budget?

Who will light the cauldron?

Officially, the identity of the final torchbearer is top secret.

But pundits are tipping the honour will go to Brazil’s greatest sports star, Pele.

In 1961, the champion footballer was named a national treasure.

To his compatriots 75-year-old Pele is a hero, not only for his sporting prowess but also for his push to help the poor.

Four years ago, the cauldron in London was lit by a group of young aspiring athletes known as the “Secret Seven”.

The Parade of Nations

More than 10,500 competitors will wind their way through the stadium full of pride, hope and anticipation.

Champion Queensland cyclist Anna Meares will bear the Australian flag and lead 410 athletes into the stadium.

With the exception of Greece (always first) and Brazil (as the host nation, last) the teams will enter in alphabetical order.

That means you won’t want to be late to the viewing party, Australia will enter 15th, right behind Armenia and Aruba.

A total of 207 nations will be represented at the parade.

It’s also a chance to use those Year 10 geography lessons you thought you would never need again.

You’ll be able to nod along smugly when Equatorial Guinea and the Federated States of Micronesia enter the stadium.

The  uniforms

Not a sports fan but still need an excuse to watch the opening ceremony?

Then it’s all about the fashion.

This year Australia will be wearing a “retro candy stripe” uniform, with
the names of Olympic champions running along the lining of the blazers.

But as sure as there will be gold medals and national anthems at the games, there will be a tragic team uniform at the opening ceremony.

A first: the Olympic Refugee Team

The world will get to see the first refugee team to compete at an Olympics.

It boasts just 10 competitors.

Two Syrian swimmers, five track athletes from South Sudan, two judokas from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and an Ethiopian marathon runner.

Four of the 10 are women.

The team will be headed by Kenyan runner Tegla Loroupe, the first African woman to win the New York City marathon and a world record holder in several long-distance competitions.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said:
“These refugees have no home, no team, no flag, no national anthem. We will offer them a home in the Olympic Village.”

The head of the UN refugee agency Filippo Grandi hailed the unprecedented team as “a tribute to the courage and perseverance” of all those forced to flee from their home countries.