The 2016 Olympic torch was revealed this week by São Paulo studio Chelles & Hayashi ahead of next year's games in Rio de Janeiro. The agency created a recycled aluminium torch design, which expands vertically when it comes into contact with the flame to reveal a series of brightly coloured resin sections. Presented during a ceremony in the Brazilian capital Brasília last Friday, the torch will be passed between 12,000 torchbearers, each running approximately 200 metres with one of the designs during a relay in the run up to the games. The torch will pass through 300 cities and towns on its 100-day journey across Brazil, which has the honour of being the first South American country to host the games.
The Rio 2016 Olympic torch was revealed this week by São Paulo studio Chelles & Hayashi ahead of next year's games
When the flame is passed from one runner to another, the sections towards the top of the baton will automatically open up, revealing the blue and green resin sections beneath. These colours, alongside the bright yellow of the flame itself, are meant to represent the geography of Brazil, with the various shades of blue and green reflecting the sea, sky and mountains, and the yellow representing the perpetual sunshine. It also helps that the colours are also featured in the Brazilian flag. The torch's triangular shape (which is actually rather similar to the Barber and Osgerby design for London 2012 on closer inspection, though this design is a little shorter) alludes to the three Olympic values of “Excellence, friendship and respect.” The final design was refined in close collaboration with the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, who aimed to use lightweight materials and a design that encourages people to grip close to the torch’s centre of gravity, to make them easier to carry.
Each torch weighs between 1 and 1.5 kilograms, and measures 63.5cm high when contracted and 69cm when expanded. Chelles & Hayashi, a studio that usually works with product, packaging and brand identity, was selected from a nationwide competition that included 76 agencies. The torch relay will conclude at the Olympic Stadium in Rio, designed by architects Carlos Porto and Gilson Santos. The stadium was completed in 2007, but closed temporarily in 2013 due to structural problems with its roof. The stadium sits within the wider Olympic park in the city's Barra da Tijuca district that includes 15 sports venues.
Each torch weighs between 1 and 1.5 kilograms, and measures 63.5cm high when contracted and 69cm when expanded
Rio 2016 brand director Beth Lula, said: “The design of the Rio 2016 Torch was inspired by the Olympic spirit, our country's nature, and the harmonious diversity and energy of our people. We used the specific stroke of the Rio 2016 brand to design the torch's contours. Its horizontal segments, once open, reveal the sky, mountains, sea and the ground, represented by the promenade of Copacabana.” Carlos Arthur Nuzman, president of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, added: “We want to show the world the chemistry that we believe will be born when the Olympic Flame meets the warmth of the Brazilian people. Rio de Janeiro is working very hard to host the games, but these are all of Brazil's games and the whole population will take part.”
