2016 Summer Olympics torch relay 2016 Summer Olympics torch relay The 2016 Summer Olympics torch relay which ran from April 21 until August 5, 2016. After being lit in Olympia, Greece, the torch traveled to Athens on the 27th of April. The Brazilian leg began in the capital, Brasília, and ended in Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã Stadium, the main venue of the 2016 Olympics. After having visited more than 300 Brazilian cities, including all 26 state capitals and the Federal District. The end of the relay was the closing to the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. At the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, Gustavo Kuerten
2000 Summer Olympics torch relay Freeman was the first competing athlete to light the Olympic cauldron. Two elements from the torch concept, fire and water, were replicated in the design of the cauldron. Freeman stood atop a pool of water and lit a flame that surrounded her. Though a computer glitch delayed proceedings for a few minutes the Flame then lifted around Freeman. The ten-year anniversary of the Games was celebrated in a special ceremony in 2010. Cathy Freeman and Paralympic champion Louise Sauvage (who was the final torchbearer at the Paralympic Games) lit the cauldron during an event attended by numerous athletes and school