Olympic flag arrives in Rio, host of 2016 Games
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Rio de Janeiro's city mayor Eduardo Paes (L) waves the Olympic flag next to the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee Carlos Arthur Nuzman (C), upon arrival from the London 2012 Olympics, at the Tom Jobim international airport in Rio de Janeiro, on Aug 13, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Rio de Janeiro's city mayor Eduardo Paes (L), the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) Carlos Arthur Nuzman (C), and Brazilian athletes wave the Olympic flag upon arrival from the London 2012 Olympics, at the Tom Jobim international airport in Rio de Janeiro, on Aug 13, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Rio de Janeiro's city mayor Eduardo Paes (centre left) holds the Olympic flag next to the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee Carlos Arthur Nuzman (centre right) and Brazilian athletes, upon arrival from the London 2012 Olympics, at the Tom Jobim international airport in Rio de Janeiro, on Aug 13, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Brazil's athletes, (from left), sailor Robert Scheidt, and boxers Yamaguchi Falcao Florentino and Esquiva Falcao Florentino show their Olympic medals in front of the Olympic flag a upon its arrival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug 13, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
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(From left), Rio de Janeiro's Governor Sergio Cabral, President of the Brazilian Olympic Committe Carlos Arthur Nuzman, boxer Yamaguchi Falcao Florentino, Mayor Eduardo Paes, boxer Esquiva Falcao Florentino, sailor Robert Scheidt, and athlete Maurren Maggi pose for pictures with the Olympic flag in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug 13, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
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Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes waves the Olympic flag as London Mayor Boris Johnson (L) and President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge watch during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium, Aug 12, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Rio de Janeiro's city mayor Eduardo Paes (L) waves the Olympic flag next to the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee Carlos Arthur Nuzman (C), upon arrival from the London 2012 Olympics, at the Tom Jobim international airport in Rio de Janeiro, on Aug 13, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Rio de Janeiro's city mayor Eduardo Paes (L), the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) Carlos Arthur Nuzman (C), and Brazilian athletes wave the Olympic flag upon arrival from the London 2012 Olympics, at the Tom Jobim international airport in Rio de Janeiro, on Aug 13, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Rio de Janeiro's city mayor Eduardo Paes (centre left) holds the Olympic flag next to the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee Carlos Arthur Nuzman (centre right) and Brazilian athletes, upon arrival from the London 2012 Olympics, at the Tom Jobim international airport in Rio de Janeiro, on Aug 13, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Brazil's athletes, (from left), sailor Robert Scheidt, and boxers Yamaguchi Falcao Florentino and Esquiva Falcao Florentino show their Olympic medals in front of the Olympic flag a upon its arrival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug 13, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
(From left), Rio de Janeiro's Governor Sergio Cabral, President of the Brazilian Olympic Committe Carlos Arthur Nuzman, boxer Yamaguchi Falcao Florentino, Mayor Eduardo Paes, boxer Esquiva Falcao Florentino, sailor Robert Scheidt, and athlete Maurren Maggi pose for pictures with the Olympic flag in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug 13, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes waves the Olympic flag as London Mayor Boris Johnson (L) and President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge watch during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium, Aug 12, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - The Olympic flag arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, the Brazilian city that will host the 2016 Summer Games, an AFP correspondent at the airport said.
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes stepped off a plane carrying the flag, accompanied by Carlos Arthur Nuzman, president of the 2016 Games Organising Committee, Rio Governor Sergio Cabral and Brazilian athletes who competed in London.
Hosting the Games will be a huge challenge for a city notorious for its traffic chaos, inadequate infrastructure and favela violence, but authorities say Rio will rise to the occasion.
On Tuesday, the flag will be flown to Brasilia for a ceremony attended by President Dilma Rousseff and on Wednesday, Mr Paes will carry it through Rio's northern Alemao complex of favelas as well as through the western district of Realengo, officials said.
On Sunday, Mr Paes received the Olympic flag from London Mayor Boris Johnson during the ceremony that marked the close of the London Games and the countdown to the 2016 Summer Games, which will be the first held in South America.
On Monday, Brazilian deputy sports minister Luis Fernandes said in London that the 2016 Games would galvanise projects already in place across South America's largest country as well as in Rio, a city of 6.5 million people.
The plans in Rio include the extension of a metro line to the western Barra da Tijuca district. Four express lanes for buses and cars are also under construction.
"The Olympics are an opportunity to invest a huge quantity of funds in infrastructure, an amount that would normally take 15 or 20 years to invest," Mr Fernandes told a press conference in London.
"The Olympics give us an opportunity to concentrate resources to build this infrastructure a bit sooner," he added.
