Olympic Torch Gets Design, Preliminary Route

(ATR) The journey of the 2016 Olympic flame begins in Brasilia.

Rio 2016 released the preliminary schedule with 83 cities included in the relay announced Friday, marking the general direction to the torch will travel.

According to the organizing committee, close to 500 cities and towns, in all 26 states, will be visited by the Olympic torch, with 12,000 torchbearers bringing the flame around Brazil. A full schedule of cities and towns will be released at the beginning of next year.

"We want to show the world the chemistry that we believe will be born when the Olympic Flame meets the warmth of the Brazilian people," Carlos Nuzman, president of Rio 2016 said.

"It would be impossible to mount such a logistical plan without working together with the governments and their public servants, such as in security, traffic control and public order. Some cities will also organize celebrations to mark the end of the torch relay every day."

The torch relay will launch in Brasilia in May 2016, before making its way east to the coastline of Brazil where the torch will travel north. After reaching the north coastline, the torch will make its way inland into the Amazon, reaching the westernmost parts of the country. The torch then treks down south before making its way back to Rio de Janeiro to light the Olympic cauldron.

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff and Nuzman presented the schedule, while simultaneously showing off the 2016 torch designs for the first time.

"In 399 days, people from across the world will look at us and see the Olympic flame lit in Rio," Dilma Rousseff said at the ceremony.

"t will travel around Brazil and will be carried by the men and women of our people. It will stay in various municipalities and will cross the nation from north to south and east to west. It will be a great work of cooperation."

A sleek silver torch will house the Olympic flame on its journey. As torchbearers pass the flame from one another, the torch will expand to show colorful, hidden sections.

The sections were designed to represent "harmonious diversity, contagious energy and exuberant nature" around Brazil through colors that fit in with the Rio 2016 "look of the Games."

The torch was designed by Sao Paolo-based firmChelles & Hayashi, who beat out 75 other agencies to secure the contract."The design of the Rio 2016 Torch was inspired by the Olympic spirit, our country’s nature, and the harmonious diversity and energy of our people," said Beth Lula, Rio 2016 brand director.

"We used the specific stroke of the Rio 2016 brand to design the torch’s contours. Its horizontal segments, once open, reveal the sky, mountains, sea and the ground, represented by the promenade of Copacabana."

Torch relay sponsors Coca-Cola, Nissan, and Bradesco will begin the process of selecting torchbearers over the next two months. Those wishing to apply can visit the official website for the torch relay, here.

A short trailer for the torch relay produced by Rio 2016 can be seen here:

Written by Aaron Bauer

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