Candidates to co-host the 2031 Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro and Niterói truly breathe sport. And 2025 is set to reinforce that DNA—according to the official sports calendars of both cities, around 400 sporting events are scheduled through December. Against one of the world’s most stunning backdrops, 190 of these competitions will be dedicated to road races.
Rio’s official sports calendar is a joint initiative by Visit Rio, Riotur, and the City of Rio de Janeiro, through the Municipal Sports Secretariat. The benefits of hosting sporting events also extend to the city itself. The more than 400 scheduled events are expected to generate an estimated economic impact of over R$ 2.2 billion.
The coming weeks promise plenty of excitement for sports fans. From September 24 to 28, the world’s top beach volleyball athletes will compete on the sands of Copacabana in the Elite Stage of the World Tour.
On the same day, September 28, Leblon beach will host another edition of King and Queen of the Sea, the traditional open-water swimming race held since 2009. One number highlights the scale of the event: 40% of registered participants come from outside the city, and 10% are international athletes, with strong representation from Latin America (Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay), as well as competitors from Canada and the United States.
Niterói is also firmly on the map of major sporting events. In 2025, the city hosted the Itacoatiara Big Wave, a big-wave surfing championship featuring some of the sport’s biggest stars, and the “Bridge Challenge”, which brought together around 5,000 runners for a 21 km race across the iconic bridge. The city’s packed calendar of high-level competitions reinforces Niterói’s position as a benchmark for quality of life, well-being, and human development through sport and leisure.