With the closing of the London Games, Rio de Janeiro becomes officially the Olympic city and marks the start of the XXXI Olympiad.

Monday 13 August, the Olympic Flag arrived in Brazil with the President of the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman; the Mayor of the City of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes; and the Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Sérgio Cabral.  The group was welcomed by four athletes of the 2016 generation at Tom Jobim International Airport.

According to the tradition, the flag was received by the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro during the London Games closing ceremony. Next, the London Games Organising Committee officially handed the responsibility for the flag during the next Olympic cycle to the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee.

The President of the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, underscored that the arrival of the Olympic flag in the city is an important landmark for Brazilian sports history. “The arrival of the Olympic flag symbolizes new times for sports in the Country. We will work hard to stage excellent Games that will leave a great legacy not only for the city but for the whole country”, he says.



Nuzman, President of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, posed for a photo with athletes, the Governor and with the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro at the Antonio Carlos Jobim Airport (Photo: Eliane Carvalho/Prefeitura do Rio)