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carried into the Maracanã Stadium and used to ignite the Olympic cauldron at the Opening Ceremony on 5 August. By involving athletes from several generations, celebrities and the general public, the Olympic torch relay is guaranteed to inspire and excite Brazilians ahead of the Games.The torch design was unveiled by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in the capital Brasilia in June, while torchbearers will be selected later this year, in partnership with the Relay’s Presenting Partners: Coca-Cola, Nissan and Bradesco.“In winning the right to stage the 2016 Olympic Games, we promised to involve the whole country,” explains Carlos Arthur Nuzman, President of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee. “These Games will be an event for all Brazilians and one in which Brazil embraces the whole world. By holding the Olympic torch relay across the whole country, we are fulfilling this promise and giving millions of people the chance to participate in a memorable celebration.”The most memorable moments of the Olympic Games often come from the interaction between athletes and the public. However, there is another set of individuals who have a vital role to play in ensuring the unique atmosphere of the Games: the volunteers. Among their many functions, they are responsible for welcoming spectators, providing them with directions, and helping foreign tourists and the media. The Rio 2016 Volunteer Programme has already received thousands of applications from people keen to take part in the world’s greatest sporting event. After coming through the interview process and the language skills evaluation, the army of volunteers started preparing for the test events that got under way in the second half of 2015 and will continue until May 2016.These test events, organised under the umbrella of the “Aquece Rio” (“Warm Up Rio”) programme, will offer a first taste of what can be expected from the sporting programme at the 2016 Olympic Games. Taking place across all four venue clusters, the 45 events will be held in the actual Games venues, with the aim of fine-tuning every aspect of the operations.“Test events are a crucial part of the preparations for the realisation of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as they enable the Organising Committee and its partners – in particular, the International Sports Federations and government partners – to test all aspects of local operations,” explains Agberto Guimarães, Executive Director of Sport and Paralympic Integration at the Rio 2016 Organising Committee. “I have no doubt we will learn many important lessons from the test events, which we will use to ensure we deliver the highest level of service possible at Games time.”With preparations entering the final stretch as the one-year countdown begins, Rio de Janeiro is working hard to deliver an unforgettable Olympic Games, which is sure to be characterised by the famous Brazilian hospitality and carnival spirit. ■TopCariocas show their support during the road cycling test eventAboveCarlos Arthur Nuzman launches the Rio 2016 Volunteer Programme“I feel at home in Rio. The last time I came was 10 years ago, and whenever I arrive here I take a deep breath of excitement. It’s amazing to see Copacabana beach covered by beach volleyball nets and everybody playing. My biggest dream is to compete in the Olympic Games for a fifth time and win another gold medal.”“We love the Brazilian fans. They are so full of joy and this helps all the teams. They dance and have fun, and they don’t boo. The music here is very good, but it would be even better if we could dance! Maybe someone could come and teach us – I would so love to have some of that Brazilian rhythm.”KERRI WALSH JENNINGS (USA, BEACH VOLLEYBALL)CAMILLA HERREM (NOR, HANDBALL)“I love Rio and Brazil. The weather is always nice and so are the people. This is a great venue to compete in. It’s much better when we compete in an open venue like this.”ANNA VOLOSHYNA (UKR, SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING)“I am definitely looking forward to an exciting Games here in Rio. We’ve had some exciting races, ‘inside’ with the amazing Pão de Açúcar mountain, and ‘outside’ with a lot of changes in the wind, which makes the race very challenging but fun.”JONATHAN LOBERT (FRA, SAILING)‘IN WINNING THE RIGHT TO STAGE THE GAMES, WE PROMISED TO INVOLVE THE WHOLE COUNTRY’CARLOS ARTHUR NUZMAN, RIO 2016 ORGANISING COMMITTEE PRESIDENT