The Olympic Flame was lit on Thursday and will begin its journey with 12,000 torch bearers around Brazil, arriving in Rio de Janeiro in early August.
The ceremony, where the flame is ignited by the suns rays, took place in Olympia, Greece. The Torch will make its way to Brazil early next month and begin its relay through over 80 cities in all five of Brazil’s regions, covering an estimated 90% of the population.
Following the protests which met the 2008 summer Olympics torch relay (which spanned six continents), the Olympic Committee decided that future torch relays would only take place at the host nation.
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and the relay is set to reach every corner of the South American nation.
The flame will ignite the Cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, taking place at the Maracana Stadium on Friday, August 5th. But it must first travel through Greece for six days before the journey of approximately 36,000 kilometers on the ground and in the air when it arrives in Brazil.