Ismael Suzawre’s ancestors used to carry torches, and then lanterns, before electricity arrived in their village at the beginning of the 21st Century. An indigenous Brazilian of Xerente ethnicity, Suzawre revived this tradition on Saturday (12 June) when he carried the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch in Palmas, the state capital of Tocantins. 

“I think it's important to represent the Akwe Xerente in the torch relay,” said Suzawre, who top scored with six goals as the Xerente won football gold at the World Indigenous Games last year in Palmas.

Suzawre carries the torch in Palmas (Photo: Rio 2016/Leonardo Rui)

Suzawre played as centre forward for the Xerente side that won the final against the indigenous team of Bolivia on penalties after the match ended 2-2. “The most difficult game, though, was against the Kanela from Maranhão (a state in Brazil) in another round,” said the 28-year-old.

Suzawre is from the village of Porteira, about 75km from Palmas. He and his team-mates had to travel up to 30 kilometres each weekend for football training at some of the 67 villages that make up the Xerente nation. “Almost everyone in our ethnicity plays football, including the women who were runners up (at the Indigenous Games),” Suzawre said.

 Suzawre shows off his footballing skills (Photo: Rio 2016/Leonardo Rui)

Log carrying

The first edition of the World Indigenous Games brought together indigenous peoples from 23 countries. Aside from football, Suzawre participated in two other traditional events: log carrying and tug of war. “We finished in third place in the tug of war because we were tired from football,” said Suzawre, who praised the way indigenous customs were celebrated at the event.

“Log carrying, for example, is not even a medal event. In this sense, it’s a little bit different from the Olympic Games,” he explains.

Suzawre with Rio 2016 Olympic mascot Vinícius (Photo: Rio2016/Leonardo Rui)

A message for Neymar

During the Rio 2016 Games, Suzawre will be hoping that Brazil can win their first Olympic gold medal in football. The host nation's team will be led by Barcelona star Neymar, who has expressed his desire to make history this August.

And Suzawre has some words of advice for Neymar. “He is the chief of that team. He may be young, but he has to know how to lead his team-mates,” he said.

Football is just one aspect of Suzawre’s life. From Monday to Saturday, he makes a 25 kilometre journey, including a ferry crossing over the Tocantins River, to study at the University of Tocantins, in the neighbouring city of Miracema do Tocantins. He studies Social Services and says: “I want to give back to my people, to fight for their rights.”