On Wednesday the Rio 2016 organizing committee officially received the Olympic torch during a ceremony in Athens, Greece at the iconic Panathenaic stadium. The organizing committee received the torch amid the ceremony that included dancers representing the diversity of Brazilian and Greek culture, along with about 30,000 viewers in the stadium.
Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuzman stated “The symbolism of receiving the Olympic flame at this location is very emotional, and it is a very large responsibility”. Nuzman received the torch from Greek Olympic committee president Spyros Capralos.
The Panathenaic stadium hosted the first Olympic Games in the modern era back in 1896. The dance choreography throughout the ceremony included an instrumental version of Cidade Maravilhosa, a 1935 Rio Carnival hit by Andre Filho which has since become the city’s anthem.
“It’s a universal message about the union of peoples, about sporting values, which the Greeks created centuries ago and that was then recreated for the modern Olympic Games. This is what the flame represents”, said Brazil Sport Minister Richard Leyser.
The flame has now headed to Switzerland to visit the United Nations Headquarters and the Olympic Museum before going to Brazil on May 3rd. In Brazil the flame will be carried by about 12,000 torchbearers over a span of 95 days and will visit over 300 towns.
