Brazilian football legend Pele says he won't be able to light the Olympic cauldron Friday because of mobility issues. His appearance was to be a key part of the opening of the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/AP Photo/A. Penner
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"Dear friends, only God is more important than my health!" the 75-year-old said in a statement Friday published by Brazilian media.
"Right now I am not in physical condition to take part in the opening of the Olympics."
Pele, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, underwent hip surgery at the end of last year and his rehabilitation has been difficult.
"The muscles in his leg that is being rehabilitated are not sufficiently strong enough," spokesman Pepito Fornos told the Reuters news agency.
"He is walking with a cane. His doctor thought it best that he continues physiotherapy, that he rests and we hope that he will be able to appear at the (Olympic) closing."
Health or legal hurdle?
The announcement came just two days after it was revealed the soccer legend had been asked to carry the torch to the cauldron in Rio's Maracana stadium during Friday night's ceremony.
A rehearsal of the opening ceremony was held ThursdayImage: Getty Images/B. Mendes
But the former striker said he needed to consult some commercial sponsors on whether he would be able to carry out the duties contractually.
Pele has for years been a celebrity face of credit company MasterCard. One of MasterCard's top competitors, Visa, sponsors the Olympic Games.
Another spokesman Jose Fornos Rodrigues told the Agence France-Presse news agency that the sponsorship obstacle had been removed but doubts remained about his health.
Pele is widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time. He won three World Cups with Brazil but never competed at the Olympics.
Rio 2016 organizers have kept light-tipped about the details of Friday's opening ceremony, which begins at 8pm local time (23:00 UTC).
One flame - many feelings
Brazil is turning on the heat: for and against the Olympics. After a nationwide tour under heavy security, the torch has reached its final city: Rio de Janeiro. Will the flame spark passion for the Summer Games?
Image: Reuters/Rio City Hall/R. Cassiano
Rio, as it laughs and lives
Rio's most famous street sweeper Renato Sorriso smiles, and he's doing his name justice - "sorriso" means "smile" in Portuguese. Sorriso became famous for cleaning up the trash along the Samba parade route during Carneval. Here he lit the flame on a post in downtown Rio.
Image: Reuters/Rio City Hall/R. Cassiano
Final destination
It's done: Rio de Janeiro's mayor Eduardo Paes receives the torch on the banks of Guanabara Bay. The flame has arrived at its destination after a marathon tour through 324 cities and all 27 states of the world's fifth largest country by area. The journey here was long.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/S. Izquierdo
Waiting for a controversial flame
Throughout the country, the Olympic flame was met with protests. In the Rio suburb of Sao Goncalo, Brazilian police protected the torch route from onlookers and demonstrators.
Image: Getty Images/M. Tama
Playing with fire
"Torch swimming": Brazilian Olympic athlete Icarus Pereira accomplished the unusual feat when he delivered the torch flaming and dry after a swim through the Claudio Coutinho stadium in the capital city of Brasilia.
Image: Getty Images
Zeus sets sail
On a boat named after the Olympic god Zeus, Brazilian sailor Bruno Fontes holds the torch in front of the country's largest suspension bridge. The historic Hercilio Luz Bridge was inagurated in 1926 and is a symbol of the city of Florianopolis.
Image: Reuters/Rio 2016/F. Soutello
The sky above Brazil
In the city of Corumba, the torch took to the sky in a balloon. The view must have been breathtaking, because Corumba is the capital of Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands on earth. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002.
Image: Getty Images
Dancing and protesting
Only around 500,000 indigenous people still live in Brazil. The country's original inhabitants are clearly underrepresented at the Olympic Games. The athlete Kamukaika Lappa Yawalapiti held a ceremony for the indigenous people of his native country at a memorial in Brazil.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Y. Chiba
A balancing act
Flame in hand, Brazilian gymnist Rebecca Andrada hangs over the city of Anapolis, an inland city of around 300,000 people in the state of Goias. Security personnel cleared her way.
Image: Getty Images
Do you know what you're doing?
First chained, then shot. "Juma" the jaguar was supposed to wow the public during an event at the Manaus Zoo. After the ceremony, Juma escaped and attacked a soldier, who shot her. The organizers apologized and admitted their mistake, but for the animal, it was too late.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Araujo
My bicycle, my torch
Torch bearers came in all sizes. After its arrival in Sao Paulo on July 24, a young boy carried the torch on his bike under police protection through the streets of Brazil's largest city.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Schincariol
Drums for the Olympics
As the Olympic torch was carried along the "Avenida Paulista" in Sao Paulo's financial district, there was plenty to marvel at up above. Artists and acrobats danced and drummed through the air.
Image: Reuters/P. Whitaker
Sporting hapiness
Brazilian penthathlete Yane Marques (left) hands the flame over to paralympic athlete Roseane Ferreira da Silva. Marques won Bronze for Brazil four years ago in London. Ferreira da Silva won gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney in discus and weightlifting. Her legs were amputated after a car accident.
Image: Marcos de Paula/Rio 2016
Political upheaval
Brazil's under-fire President Dilma Rousseff lifted the torch at the presidential palace on May 3, as volleyball player Fabiana Claudinho (left) looked on. The Olympics were supposed to be the second major sporting event hosted in Brazil she would oversee, but Rousseff is now in the midst of impeachment proceedings. She will not be present for the opening ceremony at the Maracana Stadium.
