Pele was awarded the Olympic Order last month
Brazil football legend Pele will not light the Olympic cauldron at Friday's opening ceremony in Rio.
The 75-year-old was rumoured to be favourite to perform the duty which has previously been carried out by other sporting greats such as Muhammad Ali and Cathy Freeman.
The Opening Ceremony kicks off the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
RIO DE JANEIRO — The Summer Olympic Games kicked off Friday night in an opening ceremony with a gutted budget but a soaring feel, as a stadium nestled here below a hillside pulsed with lights, fireworks, circus-like acrobats and a samba singalong typical of this nation’s partying style.
Brazil, the first South American country to host the Olympics, used the start of the Games to tell a version of the country’s history — from slavery to mega-cities — that comes as hard economic times are testing its fun-loving style.
Barcelona forward Neymar was unable to help Brazil make a winning start to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as the hosts were held to a goalless draw by 10-man South Africa in Brasilia on Thursday.
New Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus hit the post for London 2012 runners-up Brazil.
Russia will be able to have a boxing team at Rio 2016, which starts in Brazil on 5 August
Russia will have 271 athletes eligible to compete at the Rio Games, says the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
This is more than two-thirds of their original entry list of 389 athletes, despite the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) recommending a blanket ban after a doping scandal.
Brazil is the first South American country to host the Olympics
The 31st Olympic Games officially start in Rio on Friday with the opening ceremony at the Maracana Stadium.
Athletes from 206 nations and a refugee team are in Brazil to compete in 31 sports and be watched by a global audience of billions.
