Rio de Janeiro organisers have unveiled the Olympic torch for the 2016 Games on Friday, saying it brings together "movement, innovation and Brazilian flavour."
Organisers said the torch's design was inspired by Brazil's "nature, and the harmonious diversity and energy" of the Brazilian people.
The torch, crafted from recycled aluminum and resin with a satin finish, innovates with different segments that open up when the Olympic flame is passed from one torchbearer to another.
After expanding vertically, the segments will reveal "the elements that add the Brazilian flavour," with soil, sea, mountains, sky, and sun represented in the colours of the Brazilian flag - green, yellow, blue, and white.
The unveiling was made in a ceremony attended by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in the capital of Brasilia.
Organisers say the Olympic spirit is present in the torch's texture with triangles running the length of its body alluding to the three Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect, and in the floating effect of its different segments, referring to the efforts of the athletes.
"The design of the Rio 2016 torch was inspired by the Olympic spirit, our country's nature, and the harmonious diversity and energy of our people," said Beth Lula, the brand director for the local organising committee. "We used the specific stroke of the Rio 2016 brand to design the torch's contours."
About 12,000 torchbearers will carry the Olympic flame across some 300 cities and towns in the 26 Brazilian states.
The relay is expected to kick off in May in Brasilia and will continue for about 100 days.
The torch will travel nearly 20,000 kilometres of Brazilian roads and fly some 16,000 kilometres over the north and mid-west parts of the country.
"We want to show the world the chemistry that we believe will be born when the Olympic flame meets the warmth of the Brazilian people," organising committee president Carlos Nuzman said.
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