he Olympic torch has finally arrived in Brazil -- but the burst of enthusiasm might be short-lived.
President Dilma Rousseff lit
the torch at the presidential palace here while school children
cheered, Air Force jets looped overhead and a group of some 100
demonstrators shouted their support for the embattled leader.
The
first torch bearer was Fabiana Claudino, who has led Brazil's female
volleyball team to Olympic gold two times. During its spin around the
country's capital, the torch was also carried by surf champion Gabriel
Medina and a 12-year-old refugee girl, Hanan Khaled Daggah.
She is one of about 2,000 Syrian refugees welcomed by Brazil over the past couple of years.
After her 400-meter run, Hanan told CNN it was an exhilarating moment.
"I
don't feel like a refugee, I feel like a Brazilian, a Brazilian
carrying the Olympic torch!" she said, still wearing a white and gold
uniform and clutching a replica torch she received as a gift.
She said she was headed home to Sao Paulo "with this beautiful torch."
"I'm
going to visit other refugees and send the message to be strong and
don't be afraid," she said. "All of the refugees in Sao Paulo are afraid
they won't get work, they won't be able to pay rent, so don't be
afraid, just believe in yourself."
Hanan and her family, who are from northeast Syria, came to Brazil in 2015 after more than two years in Jordan.
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