The flame for the Olympic Games in Brazil "has been lit in southern Greece," according to the BBC. The torch will be taken by various runners on an int'l relay "that will culminate at the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro" on Aug. 5. The ritual "was established 80 years ago for the Berlin Games, based on a ceremony in Ancient Olympia where games were held for more than 1,000 years." Olympic Games Chief Organizer Carlos Nuzman promised to "deliver history." He said that the Olympics will "unite Brazil, which is beset by political and economic crises." Nuzman said, "[The torch lighting] brings a message that can and will unite our dear Brazil, a country that is suffering much more than it deserves in its quest for a brighter future" (BBC, 4/21). In Rio de Janeiro, Georgia Grimond reported the torch "will now travel around Greece for a week before going to the UN headquarters in Geneva and the IOC Museum in Lausanne, in Switzerland." From there, on May 3, it will travel to Brasília, "where it will begin a 95-day tour of 329 Brazilian cities." Close to 12,000 people "will carry the torch across Brazil" (RIO TIMES, 4/21).
SECRET LOCATION: The BELFAST TELEGRAPH reported the Olympic flame will have "an unusual home for the Rio de Janeiro Games." The flame will burn "somewhere in central Rio during the Games, and not in a stadium as has been traditional at the summer Olympics." Rio spokesperson Mario Andrada said that the cauldron will be lit at the Maracana Stadium during the opening ceremony on Aug. 5 and "go from the Maracana to downtown, but exactly where remains a secret." Unlike recent Olympics, Rio will have two stadiums: "the Maracana for the opening and closing ceremonies and football, and the Olympic Stadium across town, which will be used for track and field." Andrada said, "It's impossible to have two cauldrons, and it's impossible to have the same cauldron in two places" (BELFAST TELEGRAPH, 4/20).
