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Rio Olympics 2016: Hours Long Line Ups Anger Fans On Day One

Games started with stands oddly bare.

Some stands were remarkably empty on day one of the Rio Olympics on Saturday.

Many ticket-holding fans were ready to cheer for their medal hopefuls, but wound up stuck in long line ups in the hot 32 C weather, Reuters reports.

In some cases, fans missed rounds altogether. Rio resident Natalia Carvalho wanted to see Brazilian gymnast Arthur Zanetti, but didn't make it inside the stadium until after his rings presentation was over, Reuters reports.

One Manitoba family told CBC News they'd dealt with traffic problems, switched from a taxi to a bus, and went through security only to be corralled in another lineup to get inside the gymnastics venue. The family spoke to the broadcaster outside the venue, nearly one hour after the event started.

We apologize to everyone who’s standing in the sun in line outside the venues,” Olympic spokesperson Mario Andrada told The Associated Press. “We obviously need to upgrade that part of the game.”

"There are problems at every games particularly at the beginning. They get sorted out, these will be sorted out," said spokesperson Mark Adams continued.

The organizing committee blamed the delays on miscommunication between the various security personnel, including police, military and event staff, USA Today reports.

Military personnel assisted in security patrolling the Olympic venues. Pictured here before the opening ceremony. (Photo: Getty Images)

Despite measures to speed up the security process, many spectators continued to miss events.

Rio's iconic Copacabana Beach hosted only a few hundred fans for beach volleyball Saturday, and the gymnastics arena saw far fewer than the 13,500 people it has capacity for. According to Reuters, the boxing venue also failed to fill its seats.

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