Brazilian soccer legend Pele has been invited to light the Olympic torch when the 2016 Summer Olympics begin on Friday, but the 75-year-old will not be able to attend due to health concerns.
Pele told The Associated Press on Friday that his “ill health” is preventing him from taking part in the opening ceremony.
BREAKING: Brazilian soccer great Pele says ill health prevents him from going to opening ceremony of Rio Olympics.
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) August 5, 2016
The interesting thing is that Pele said earlier in the week that he was unsure if he would be able to make it to Rio because of an obligation he had with one of his sponsors. There’s no word on whether he would have been cleared to attend even if he was feeling up to it.
In any event, this is a major disappointment for the people of Brazil. Pele is widely considered to be the greatest soccer player of all time, so it would have been great for the fans to see him kick things off in Rio. Here’s hoping he has a speedy recovery.
