SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Football great Pele to play no role at closing ceremony

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Pele will not appear at the Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday, organisers said on Friday, meaning Brazil's most famous sportsman has played no formal part in the Games.

Football great Pele to play no role at closing ceremony
(Reuters)

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Skip to article content

The football great, whose full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, turned down an offer to appear as the final torchbearer at the Games' opening party on Aug. 5, citing a health problem.

"Pele is not going to take part in the closing ceremony," Abel Gomes, executive producer of the ceremonies, told reporters.

Pele, 75, underwent hip surgery at the end of last year and has said his rehabilitation has been difficult.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Games organisers said they had not been in contact with him since earlier this month when he turned down the invite to light the cauldron.

"We have not got in touch with him or he in touch with us since the opening," Games spokesman Mario Andrada said. "But if he wants to be there it will be our pleasure."

Pele caused some confusion before the start of the Olympics, revealing that he had been asked to light the cauldron, but adding that he needed to consult some commercial sponsors on whether he contractually would be able to do that.

Organisers had kept light-tipped about the details of the ceremony but after the opening confirmed he had been due to light the flame in the stadium.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Neil Robinson)


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world