the games have been taking place since 1995, with the recent addition of a winter edition, first hosted by italy in march of 2010.

rio de janeiro's engenhão stadium hosted the track and field competition, where cariocas and travelling fans watched the majority of the action. the são januário stadium, home of vasco de gama sports club, hosted much of the football.

1 billion reals was invested in the event, with upgrades to many stadiums and sports parks, such as the maracanãzinho arena, the deodoro sports complex, the maria lenk aquatic park, and the athletes' villages in campo dos afonsos, campo grande, and deodoro, where the competitors were accommodated during their stay in rio de janeiro.