2016 Summer Olympics torch relay
The 2016 Summer Olympics torch relay which ran from 21 April until 5 August 2016. After being lit in Olympia, Greece, the torch traveled to Athens on the 27 April. The Brazilian leg began in the capital, Brasília, and ended in Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã Stadium, the main venue of the 2016 Olympics. After having visited more than 300 Brazilian cities, including all 26 state capitals and the Federal District.[1] The end of the relay was the closing to the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.[2]
Host city | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
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Countries visited | Greece, Switzerland, Brazil |
Distance | 20,000 kilometres (12,000 mi) |
Torch bearers | 12,000 |
Start date | 21 April 2016 |
End date | 5 August 2016 |
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Route in Brazil
- Torch relay in Brasília, with the marathoner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima (3 May).
- Torch relay in Corumbá de Goiás (4 May).
- Torch relay in Pirenópolis, Goiás (4 May).
- Torch relay in Coronel Fabriciano, Minas Gerais, with Don Lélis Lara (12 May).
- The last stop of the torch relay, Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro (5 August).
End of Torch Relay
At the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, Gustavo Kuerten brought the Olympic torch into the stadium, relayed off the Olympic flame to Hortência Marcari, who relayed to Vanderlei de Lima. de Lima then lit the Olympic cauldron.[3]
Torch bearers
Notable torch bearers include:
- Vanderlei de Lima: de Lima had been selected as the final torch bearer and the one who lit the cauldron after Pelé declined due to illness. de Lima had been attacked during his marathon run at the 2004 Olympics, when he was leading, making him a leading choice for the honor of last flame bearer.[4]
- Hortência Marcari: Marcari is considered the greatest Brazilian female basketball player.[4]
- Gustavo Kuerten: Kuerten is the best male tennis player in South America in history.[4]
- Ban Ki-moon, Ban is the General Secretary of the United Nations[5]
- Thomas Bach, Bach is the President of the International Olympic Committee[5]
- Carlos Arthur Nuzman, Nuzman is the President of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics Organizing Committee[5]
- Adriana Lima, Lima is a Brazilian supermodel.[6]
- Eduardo Paes, Paes is the mayor of Rio de Janeiro[7]
- Heloísa Pinheiro, Pinheiro was the source of inspiration for the bossa nova single The Girl from Ipanema.
References
- "Goiás will be the first state to receive the Rio 2016 Olympic Flame". USA Today. Diário da Manhã. 29 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- Rio 2016 Opening Ceremonies (5 August 2016)
- "Opening Ceremony". 2016 Summer Olympics. 5 August 2016. NBC.
- Associated Press (5 August 2016). "Meet the marathoner who lit the cauldron at the Rio Games". CBS News.
- "Leaders of UN, IOC and Rio 2016 join together to carry Olympic torch". Rio 2016. 5 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016.
- Julie Mazziotta (5 August 2016). "Adriana Lima Cries with Pride as She Carries the Olympic Torch Through the Streets of Rio".
- O Globo (4 August 2016). "Paes denies breach of protocol to carry the torch: 'I was invited'". Retrieved 9 August 2016.
External links
External video | |
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Rio 2016 - Lighting Ceremony of the Olympic Flame from Olympia, Greece on YouTube |
- 3D model: "Rio 2016 Olympic torch". The 2016 Olympic torch (designed by Chelles & Hayashi), by Wilfried Vougny. April 21, 2016 (in French)
- "En 5 Minutes - L'odyssey de la flamme olympique commence" "Le Journal de Montréal", by Wilfried Vougny, Apr. 21, 2016.