Rio 2016 Sponsors Name Torchbearers -- Sponsor Spotlight

(ATR) Bradesco, Coca-Cola, and Nissan named 15 of the first torchbearers for the 2016 Olympic Torch Relay.

As part of the torch relay route announcement,the three sponsors for the event each showcased five handpicked torchbearers to represent each sponsor. The torchbearers chosen are a mixture of athletes and high profile individuals in Brazil.

Bradesco nominated Padro Henrique, an instagram star in Brazil, Paul Lafontaine, a musician, Tereza Elina de Castro, a disability activist, Gustavo Borges, an four time Olympic medalist in swimming, and Maria Bueno, three time Wimbledon winner.

Coca-Cola nominated Lais Souza, former gymnast, Fabiana, two time Olympic champion in volleyball, Gustavo dos Santos, an indigenous archer, Di Ferrero, a singer, and Lucas Rangel, a YouTube star.

Nissan nominated Clodoaldo Silva, Paralympic swimmer, Isabel Swan, a sailor, Cao Ribeiro, a canoeist, Adriana Behar, Olympic medalist in volleyball, and Weimar Pettengill, an ultramarathoner.

A total of 12,000 torchbearers will participate in the 2016 Torch Relay. The Olympic flame will visit 329 cities across Brazil during a 95-day journey.

LA 2024 Grabs Social Platform

Los Angeles residents will be able to feature the bid’s logo on the social media platform Snapchat.

The platform lets users take pictures or up to 10 second videos, known as snaps, and share them with friends with "geotags" that showcase the location of the snap. In neighborhoods where the proposed LA 2024 venues are located, users will have access to a special LA 2024 geotag featuring the bid logo and slogan.

In aligning with Snapchat, LA 2024 hopes the partnership will gain support among the aged 13-24 demographic within the Los Angeles area according to a release.

"Our partnership with Snapchat perfectly reflects LA 2024’s commitment to re-connecting young people with the Olympic Movement by harnessing Los Angeles’ culture of creativity, innovation and youthful energy," Gene Sykes, LA 2024 CEO, said in a statement.

"If we had the honor of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024, it would provide LA and America with a platform for unprecedented youth engagement, inspiring healthy living and even greater social cohesion through sport."

Tokyo 2020 Reaches Dozen Domestic Partners

TOTO Ltd will provide bathroom and kitchen fixtures for Tokyo 2020.

Designated an official partner, TOTO is the twelfth second-tier sponsor signed the by the Japanese organizing committee. With the new sponsorship addition Tokyo 2020 has a total of 27 international and domestic sponsors ahead of the 2020 Games.

"TOTO Ltd. provides a variety of essential plumbing products that contribute to healthy and added-value lifestyles to people in Japan," Yoshiro Mori, Tokyo 2020 president, said in a statement.

"I have high expectations that TOTO will exemplify the omotenashi (selfless hospitality) that we aim to extend to all athletes, Games-related personnel and spectators."

Wrestling to Stream Qualifiers Online

Two upcoming United World Wrestling tournaments will be streamed online by FloWrestling.

FloWrestling will stream the Pan American Wrestling Championships on Feb. 26-7 and the Pan American Olympic Qualifiers on Mar. 4-5 on their website in a partnership with UWW. Wrestling fans can pay a monthly or annual subscription to FloWrestling to access the content. The competitions will be free to stream one week after their conclusions.

"This deal is part of wrestling’s ongoing dedication to modernization," Nenad Lalovic, UWW president, said in a statement.

"FloWrestling has been innovative in their approach to delivering online video streaming to wrestling fans around the world. We are looking forward to their work and expect to see great results."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.