In a break from tradition followed at previous Olympics, the flame for the Rio Games will shine in the downtown area of the host city rather than at the stadium.
Rio 2016 organisers confirmed on Wednesday the flame will not stay at the Maracana Stadium after the torch relay ends there on August 5 to open the Games. After the Olympic opening ceremony, the cauldron will travel into the downtown area on August 6, reports Xinhua news agency.
The Olympic flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece on April 21. The flame will be handed over to Rio 2016 on April 27, after which it will visit the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, and the United Nations headquarters in Geneva.
The flame will arrive in Brasilia on May 3, where the 2016 torch relay will begin.
--IANS
ajb/vt
