Rio 2016 Paralympic torch lit in Brasilia

The Paralympic torch relay will begin on 1 September and will visit five cities around Brazil on its way to Rio de Janeiro. 26 Aug 2016
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Rio 2016 Paralympic Torch design is white with red, orange circles.

Rio 2016 Paralympic Torch

ⒸRio 2016/Alex Ferro
By Rio 2016

The Paralympic torch was lit by Brazil’s interim president Michel Temer at a ceremony held in Brasilia on 25 August.

Rio 2016 Organising Committee President, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, Brazil’s Minister of Sport, Leonardo Picciani, and Brazilian Paralympic Committee President and International Paralympic Committee Vice President, Andrew Parsons, also attended the ceremony.

"The experience of hosting the Olympic Games, called by many people the best in history, guarantees that the Paralympic Games will continue in the same direction," Nuzman said.

"We will receive the Paralympic world in a city that has been transformed."

Brazilian athletics Paralympic and world champion Yohansson Nascimento, who received the torch from Temer, said: “I have no doubt that the Paralympic Games will also be a success.

“Brazilian athletes are training hard. Our target of finishing in the top five is very ambitious, but we have had all the support we need to reach it. We are prepared and we will achieve it. I have no doubts that we will hear the Brazilian national anthem every day.”

The Paralympic torch relay will begin on 1 September. On its way to the Opening Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on 7 September, the relay will visit five cities: Brasilia, Belem, Joinville, Natal and Sao Paulo.

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Sport fans from around the world can now buy their Paralympic tickets for Rio 2016 from authorised ticket resellers (ATRs).

The IPC’s Global ATR is Jet Set Sports, and Rio 2016 tickets and packages can be purchased on the CoSport website.

Residents of Brazil can buy 2016 Paralympics tickets directly from the Rio 2016 website.

Visa International is the exclusive payment card and the official payment system for the Paralympic Games.