The 1,800m² shop officially welcomed its first visitors at 10am local time yesterday. 

Offering more than 3,000 different products – from plush toys of the Games mascots Vinicius and Tom to rucksacks, beach towels and Rio 2016-branded Havaianas flip-flops – the megastore is due to be open from 10am to 10pm every day from now until 30 September.

The store was opened by Brazilian Paralympic sprint star Terezinha Guillhermina and Congolese judokas Popole Misenga and Yolande Mabika, who will be competing for the Refugees Olympic Team at Rio 2016 and are currently based in Rio de Janeiro, and the two mascots. 

Guilhermina got herself the biggest possible stuffed replica of Paralympic Games mascot Tom.

Misenga and Mabika left with rucksacks and Havaianas, those quintessential carioca style items. 

“I always get some memorabilia from every event I compete in,” said Guilhermina. 

“In London, I bought a mascot that comes up to my waist. 

"Now I have a Tom.”

Games, branded clothes, household goods and even miniature Olympic Torches are among the items for sale in the giant tent-like structure.

Mabika said she would use her new Rio 2016 rucksack “every day on the train" while Misenga bought presents for his wife Fabiana and their one-year-old son, Elias. 

“I bought a tee-shirt of Vinicius for my son and a pair of sandals for my wife."

Among 132 points of sale around Rio de Janeiro, the Copacabana megastore will be the second largest outlet for official products.

The largest will be in Barra Olympic Park.

The merchandise and retail programme at Rio 2016 is being operated jointly by Rebel Events Brasil Ltd and Venue Retail Ltd (VRL), the company that led operations at the London 2012.

VRL operated the biggest in-venue merchandise programme in Olympic history at London, and subsequently took control of selling 1,500 types of commemorative items at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow two years later. 

They were also responsible for the retail programme at last year's  Pan American Games in Toronto. 

It is hoped around 8,000 official Rio 2016 products will be available by the time of the Games, with the expectation that these items will generate around BRL1 billion (£175 million/$257 million/€228 million) in Brazilian retail sales.