With only 100 days left before the summer Olympic Games begin in Rio, the Brazilian government focused on the construction that still remains for venues and locations.
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The flame will be flown in special safety lanterns to Switzerland for a ceremony at the United Nations in Geneva on Thursday.
The Olympic flame was kindled April 21 in the traditional ceremony held in ancient Olympia, followed by a week long torch relay through Greece.
Carlos Nuzman, head of Rio’s local organizing committee, said the city is ready to “deliver history”.
On Monday, a Syrian amputee refugee, Ibrahim Al-Hussein, carried the torch as it passed through a refugee camp in Athens.
RIO DE JANEIRO – Rio de Janeiro launched on Wednesday the 100-day countdown to the Olympic Games, with the government and sports leaders insisting it will be a landmark occasion, despite chaotic preparations and Brazil’s political meltdown.
It arrives in Brazil on May 3 for a relay across the country in the hands of 12,000 torch-bearers before reaching in Rio for the opening ceremony on August 5.
As the first South American country to host the Olympics and Paralympic Games, Brazil will welcome over 14,000 athletes to its most famous city.
The flame will light the cauldron at the Maracana Stadium during the opening ceremony.
“We will take the Olympic experience to every corner of our country, to every state capital”, Mr Nuzman said.
It’s the second time Nadal, victor of 14 Grand Slam titles, has been selected as a flag-bearer.
But while the Brazilian government and International Olympic Committee (IOC) insist there is no turning back from the road to Rio, storm clouds remain, both at home and overseas. Ban noted that he ran with the Olympic torch before the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
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“2014 the World Cup was only 32 countries, now we have something like 280 countries, more events, 24 hours per day during the week so of course the challenges are bigger”.
