Olympic Torch Relay arrives in Rio de Janeiro

The Torch Relay arrived in the beautiful, historic town of Paraty in Rio de Janeiro state on Wednesday, 27 July after bidding farewell to São Paulo. Starting the week with a visit to some of São Paulo’s attractions, the flame visited Beco do Batman, or Batman’s Alley, where graffiti artists have transformed the area. Almost 150 torchbearers, including world champion sprinter and Paralympic medal hope Verônica Hipólito, carried the flame towards São José dos Campos. The torch relay coincided with the town’s 249th anniversary celebrations and ended by lighting an Olympic cauldron in the city park with a special concert by singer Maria Rita. Before reaching Rio on Wednesday afternoon, the flame visited towns close to the state border including Taubaté and Ubatuba.
The Olympic Torch Relay, which carried the Olympic flame from Greece to Rio in the two months leading up to the Games involved approximately 12,000 torchbearers.
During the Games some 20,000 members of the international media (press and broadcasters) will gather in Rio to help ensure that the drama of the Games reaches every corner of the globe.