30 Jan 2015

Olympic torch route mapped out

7:22 am on 30 January 2015

The 2016 Olympic torch relay will pass through nearly 250 cities in Brazil, giving 90 per cent of the population the chance to see it, before finishing in Rio.

The Olympic torch.

The Olympic torch. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

"The torch will go to all corners of Brazil, to the furthest and most difficult points, to allow the Brazilian people to participate," organising committee president Carlos Nuzman said.

The relay will pass through the capitals of all the 26 states, plus the federal district of Brasilia, via a route of 20,000 kilometres and last about 100 days.

Nuzman said work was being carried out to ensure the relay was safe.

"The federal government is working on security together with local and state governments for all the places the torch will pass," he explained before adding that the plans "should put everyone at ease".

A recent survey by Mexican advocacy group Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice found Brazil had 19 of the world's 50 most dangerous cities as calculated by murder rates last year.

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