By Ben Tavener
SAO PAULO
President Dilma Rousseff presented the Olympic torch for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro on Friday and the route it will follow around the continent-sized South American country.
The sleek, white torch, which features undulating blue and green lines -- flowing rivers in the colors of the sea, sky and land -- was unveiled in Brasília at a ceremony attended by Rio 2016 President Carlos Arthur Nuzman and leading sporting figures.
Rousseff said Brazil would "have the honor of being the first country in South America to host the biggest sporting event on the planet" and pledged an "historic" Games.
"In 399 days, people from across the world will look at us and see the Olympic flame lit in Rio. We are confident that we are going to meet, to the highest level, this great challenge that we have taken on," she said.
It was revealed that the torch would be carried by 12,000 torchbearers along a 20,000-kilometer (12,430-mile) course on Brazilian roads, starting in Brasília next May.
It is set to visit at least 300 cities, including all 26 state capitals, before ending in Rio on Aug. 5, when the Olympic Cauldron will be set aflame during Opening ceremonies at the world-famous Maracanã stadium.
The Rio2016 site says the torch, after traditionally being lit in Greece, will also travel a another 10,000 miles (16,090 kilometers) by air around remote parts of the country without the flame ever being extinguished.
Rio 2016 representatives said they are confident Brazil will host a successful Games, and Rousseff emphasized that preparations were on track.
"I am sure the Olympics will be a symbolic moment for us. We will show what this country is made of," she said.
Nuzman said the Rio 2016 organization "wanted to show the world the chemistry that we believe will be born when the Olympic flame meets the warmth of the Brazilian people."
The Brazilian president, who faced questions about security at the Games while on an official visit to the United States earlier the week, said Brazil had gained vital experience from hosting of the 2014 World Cup and guaranteed the Olympics would be safe.
The Rio Games, which begin in August 2016, will see athletes compete in some 28 different sports -- including golf and rugby sevens for the first time. Kitesurfing, another new addition, will replace windsurfing.
Four major Olympic sites around Rio will host the majority of the events; other major Brazilian cities -- Brasília, São Paulo, Manaus, Belo Horizonte and Salvador -- will also use their World Cup stadiums to host football events.
Rio will also host the Summer Paralympics in September 2016.
