Olympic Torch to travel through 300 Brazilian cities
Former athlete Torben Grael, President Dilma Rousseff, chairman of the Rio 2015 Organizing Committee Carlos Arthur Nuzman, and athlete Isabel Swan, during the promotional event for the Olympic Torch
The Rio 2016 Organizing Committee unveiled today (Jul 3) the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games Torch and the relay route which the flame will follow before finally reaching the host city, on August 5, 2016, for the opening ceremony.
The Olympic Torch, designed by the agency Chelles & Hayashi, is white, and boasts details specially colored to represent Brazilian nature.
The Olympic Flame is expected to arrive in Brasília in May, starting a tour nearly 28km long. The committee says 12 thousand people will take part in the relay all across the country, in stretches of approximately 200m each. Altogether, the torch will be received by 300 cities in Brazil—83 of which announced today—but bearers will be seen across 200 other municipalities.
President Dilma Rousseff noted we are still 399 days away from the beginning of the games. In her view, works are on schedule and the country is ready to host the international event.
“When we look at the torch, emotions and a sense of responsibility arise within us. The day is coming on which we'll be honored and proud to be the first nation in South America to host the biggest sports event on Earth. We're confident that we'll live up to the challenge in our hands. These will be historic Olympic Games we'll put on, with competence and hospitality.”
Rousseff, who returned from the US yesterday (2), declared that during the visit she was continually questioned about public security in Rio de Janeiro. “We're confident that the our Olympics will be safe, because our World Cup was safe. I told them, if we're capable of guaranteeing security in 12 cities, we're capable of guaranteeing security in a single city.”
Cooperation between the Armed Forces, the Federal Police, and the Secretariat of Public Security of Rio de Janeiro will ensure the security scheme for the games, the president also affirmed.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Olympic Torch to travel through 300 Brazilian cities
