The program for the Flame of Rio

The detailed route that will be taken by the 2016 Olympic torch relay was announced at a special event in Rio de Janeiro. The relay is due to begin in Brazil on 3 May, and by the time it has reached the host city for the 2016 Opening Ceremony on 5 August, it will have visited 329 towns and cities across Brazil, covering an astonishing amount of ground. Starting in the capital city, Brasilia, it will travel 20,000 kilometres by land and 10,000 by air, reaching an estimated 90 per cent of Brazil’s population.

Following its traditional short relay of Greece, which will follow the Olympic Flame’s lighting on 21 April, the Torch will briefly visit Switzerland before being brought to Brazil. After departing Brasilia it will take in many of the country’s most stunning attractions, from the city of Salvador and the beaches of Bahia to the jungle-bound north, the mountains and wine growing areas of the south, to the vibrant city of Sao Paulo and, eventually, Rio de Janeiro itself.