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Olympians in Rio can now visit the Poke gym

Wildly popular augmented-reality game heads to Central and South America.

Steven Musil Night Editor / News
Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. He's been hooked on tech since learning BASIC in the late '70s. When not cleaning up after his daughter and son, Steven can be found pedaling around the San Francisco Bay Area. Before joining CNET in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers.
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If you plan to attend the Olympic Games this month but worry about Pokemon Go withdrawal, fear not: Your miniature monsters will be waiting for you in Rio.

Pokemon Go creator Niantic Labs announced through its social media channels on Wednesday that the wildly popular augmented-reality game is now available for play in Central and South America.

"We are excited to officially be putting Pokemon Go in the hands of our Latin American fans, visitors and the Olympic athletes in Rio," Niantic said in a statement.

Pokemon Go, which was released July 6 in the US, encourages players to walk around in the real world with their phone to find mythical creatures called Pokemon. The game has shattered download records and is used more than the likes of Twitter and Facebook.

So, is there enough time to collect medals and monsters?