Chosen by the Organizers of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, the 34 year old Eric Maleson, President of the Brazilian Bobsled and Luge Association , will be the first Brazilian to carry the Olympic Torch in an official Torch Relay.

„To carry the Olympic Torch is already an honor in any circumstance. But to be the first Brazilian athlete to achieve this is more than I could dream about“, says Eric.

The Olympic Torch will begin to cross the United Stated on December 4th. The Torch will be carried by many athletes and personalities, and will take 65 days between Atlanta and Salt Lake City. Eric will be making part of Brazilian sports history on December 27 when the Torch will be passing in Boston. Eric will be carrying the Torch for 1.6 Km. „I am going to make the most of this opportunity to show that Brazilians also can enjoy success in Winter sports, even considering that we don‘t have the proper climate conditions“, he explains.

Eric plans on taking the Torch that he will be allowed to keep, to Brazil where he will be giving it to the President of Brazil Fernando Henrique and the Minister of Sports and Tourism Carlos Melles.

The International Luge Federation has congratulated President Maleson by fax, expressing that it considers his nomination as Olympic torch bearer as an enormous honour for the FIL as well.