By TIME Video
Updated: | Originally published: ;
The Olympic torch for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janero was lit in Athens on Thursday, kicking off a journey that will cross continents before ending in the Brazilian city on Aug. 5.
Greek gymnast Eleftherios Petrounias is the first of roughly 12,000 athletes that will carry the torch. It’s due to arrive in Brazil on April 27, where it will be taken through 83 cities and 500 towns, reaching about 90% of the country’s population, according to CNN.
You can watch the torch lighting ceremony live above.
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