This week the Olympic flame was lit in Olympia Greece and started its journey towards Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on August 5th at Maracanã Olympic Stadium.
And, of course, the first thing it did was set up an official Twitter account to socialize the torch relay that will get it to the Games.
“After spending years in the darkness I can’t wait to see the light of day again. Almost time to return,” @OlympicFlame announced in its first Tweet on April 21.
At the time of this post, over 7,000 followers have joined the fiery entity in its online journey.
Followers have so far been treated to an ongoing account of the relay across Greece including live Periscope feeds, videos, selfies and commentary.
https://twitter.com/OlympicFlame/status/723359053871611904
The flame is now on an international tour that includes a few days traveling across Greece and a stop in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne, Switzerland where it will enjoy a rest at the Olympic Museum. It will then make a journey across the Atlantic Ocean where it will touch down in South America for the first time where 12,000 torchbearers will carry it 20,000 kilometers across Brazil.
A Rio 2016 spokesperson said that the cauldron housing the flame during the Games will be lit at the Maracana Stadium during the opening ceremony and then “go from the Maracana to downtown. But exactly where remains a secret”.
It will reportedly remain outside the stadium and away from the Olympic Park in a city centre area not usually visited by tourists. It seems that the flame may want to stay out of the spotlight after it’s long journey from Greece.
https://twitter.com/OlympicFlame/status/724221842429480960
