Venues: Olympic Stadium (track and field), Sambodromo (marathon), Pontal (race walk)

Medals available: 141

Dates: August 12-21

Dominant nations: The United States claimed 28 medals in London, nine of which were gold. Russia and Jamaica won 16 and 12 respectively

Star names: Usain Bolt (Jamaica), Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia), Mo Farah (Great Britain), Ashton Eaton (United States), David Rudisha (Kenya), Christian Taylor (USA), Valerie Adams (New Zealand)

Athletics' reputation has been tarnished by doping scandals that have rocked the sport to the core, so it will come as a welcome relief for attention to be turned to world records and gold medals in Rio rather than banned substances and corruption.

Much of the talk has been over which athletes will not be competing in Brazil after Russia was banned by the IAAF last year following revelations of state-sponsored doping and Kenya was ordered to get its anti-doping house in order.

The negativity surrounding athletics should be put to one side when some of the biggest superstars in sport showcase their incredible talents on the biggest stage of all.

And there is no bigger icon than Usain Bolt, who will attempt to pull off an unprecedented third sprint treble in what the legendary Jamaican has said will be his last Olympics.

Bolt has won 100 metres, 200m and 4x100m golds in each of the last two Olympics and proved he is still the sprint king when he beat Justin Gatlin in the 100m and 200m finals at the World Championships last year.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce goes in search of a third consecutive Olympic 100m gold and another double over the shortest distance for Jamaica.

The sprint finals are the most eagerly awaited events of the Games in the eyes of many, but the longer-distance races, multi-discipline events and battle for medals in the field have also kept spectators on the edge of their seats over the years and it will be no different in Rio.

Sisters Tirunesh and Genzebe Dibaba target middle-distance glory for Ethiopia, while Mo Farah has another 5000m and 10,000m double in his sights four years on from twice raising the roof in London on home soil, and David Rudisha will hope to put on another show in the 800m.

Ashton Eaton will take some stopping in the men's decathlon, while countryman Christian Taylor is eyeing a world record in the triple jump and New Zealander Valerie Adams will be expecting to win a third straight gold medal in the women's shot put.

With all the attention in the build-up to Rio focusing on off-the-track-and-field issues, the world's finest athletes will be aiming to raise the bar and show the sport at its very best in such troubled times.