Olympic Torch to travel through 250 Brazilian cities

The Organizing Committee of Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced on Thursday (Jan 29) that the 2016 Olympic Torch Relay will include 250 Brazilian cities in 100 days, until it reaches Rio's iconic Maracanã Stadium, where the opening ceremony will be held, on August 5.

Approximately 10 thousand people are expected to hold the torch through 20 thousand km. The exact route has not been made public yet, but it has been stated that the tour will cover all 26 state capitals plus the Federal District.

The Olympic symbol will be lit in the city of Olympia, Greece, in May, and will be carried by torchbearers through several Greek cities before coming to Brazil. The organizing committee has not disclosed the first Brazilian city to receive the flame, or when it should land in the country.

Torchbearers will be nominated by the sponsors from group comprised of athletes, personalities, and ordinary people, both Brazilian and foreign.

Teacher Lara Castro, the first Brazilian to hold the torch, in the 1992 Barcelona games, hopes to have a chance to take part in the ceremony again. “The emotion was wonderful, and it marked my life over 20 years ago,” she said.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira