Symbolic Olympic torch paraded from Brussels to the Belgian coast

A delegation of runners took off from Brussels' Rogier Tower on Thursday morning carrying a symbolic Olympic flame through the capital to mark the start of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, writes Bruzz. The group made its first pit stop at the famous statue of the Manneken Pis, which was dressed for the occasion in an official Team Belgium outfit. By Friday, the flame is scheduled to arrive at its final destination: the Rio House in Ostend, at the Belgian coast.

The relay is an initiative of Olympic partner Belfius Bank and the Belgian Olympic Committee (COIB). “In this way, we want to show our support for the Belgian athletes,” says Belfius COO Olivier Onclin.

The Olympic torch will be carried 201 kms from Brussels city centre to the beach of Ostend via Oudenaarde. “It's quite exciting because, even though it's not the real Olympic flame, it is up to us to see that it doesn't go out,” Onclin told the news website.