July 03--The Olympic flame will get a high-tech makeover next summer.
Brazilian officials unveiled their modern-looking, mechanized torch for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games at a news conference on Friday.
It has a slim, white body inscribed with horizontal curves. When lighted, it automatically stretches a few inches longer, the squiggly lines opening to reveal colorful designs underneath.
Officials call this activation "the kiss of the torches."
The flame is scheduled to pass through 500 Brazilian cities and towns, reaching an estimated 90% of the country's population as it wends toward the Games.
The route will cover about 22,000 miles by land and air. Twelve-thousand runners will spend 90-100 days carrying the flame to the opening ceremony on Aug. 5, 2016.
"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," said Carlos Arthur Nuzman, president of Rio 2016. "Rio de Janeiro is working very hard to host the Games, but these are all of Brazil's Games and the whole population will take part."
