President receives the Olympic flag and the cycle until 2016 starts

• 
• 

Detalhes

Publicado em Terça, 14 Agosto 2012 15:22

This Tuesday (14.08), President Dilma received the Olympic flag at the Presidential Palace in Brasília. Illustrated with the rings, which represent the union of the five continents, the flag is the biggest Olympic symbol and arrived in Brasília at the hands of the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes, who received it from the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge, at the Games? closing ceremony in London on Sunday. The symbolic act marks the beginning of the Olympic period until 2016, when Rio de Janeiro will host the 21st edition of the Games.

During the ceremony, Dilma congratulated brothers Esquiva and Yamaguchi Falcão, silver and bronze medallists respectively in boxing, who were there. The following also attended the meeting with the President, the Acting Minister of Sport Vicente Neto, the Governor of Rio de Janeiro Sérgio Cabral and the President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) and of the Games' local organising committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

"I think Brazil has one goal: we want to increase the number of medals won. We need athletes like Yamaguchi and Esquiva and I will tell you: I am sure that their example is an example for all Brazilian men and women - even the girls may fight and win medals in boxing -, but they are an example of a dream that we may try to fulfil", stated the President, when saying that in four years? time she expects to see Estivam Falcão, youngest brother of the Olympic medallists, also making it to the podium.

The flag arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Monday (13.08) and will be kept in Gávea Pequena, Eduardo Paes' official residence. This Wednesday, it will parade around the streets of Rio, starting at the Praça do Conhecimento,  Complexo do Alemão, following on to the Praça do Canhão, in Realengo, and the south side of the city. The parade finishes at the City Palace in Botafogo.
 
New Coins
In honour of the Olympic Flag being passed onto Brazil, on Monday, the Brazilian Central Bank has put in circulation new R$ 1 and R$ 5 coins.
 

The special R$ 1 bimetallic coin has on its front side, on the silver nucleus, the legend 'Brazil', with the Rio 2016 Games logo.  In the centre of the coin there is the Olympic flag and on the golden ring the legends 'Delivery of the Olympic flag? and 'London 2012-Rio 2016?.

Out of the 2,016 million coins that will be produced, part of them (80 thousand units), will be sold to collectors in special packaging for R$ 9.50.  The rest will be put in circulation by the banking network.

A silver R$ 5 coin was also made and a maximum of 20 thousand units will be produced.  In its front side, the Olympic flag is in the centre, supplemented with the legend 'Delivery of Olympic flag? and the logo of the Rio 2016 Games.

On the back, two icons of Olympic cities are illustrated: Tower Bridge, representing London and Christ the Redeemer, representing Rio de Janeiro. Supplementing the coin, is its face value and the legend 'London 2012-Rio 2016? and 'Brazil?.

Foto: Glauber Queiroz
Ascom - Ministério do Esporte
Acompanhe as notícias do Ministério do Esporte no Twitter e no Facebook