Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff unveiled the eco-friendly and stylish new Olympic torch, which will be used at the 2016 Olympics taking place in Rio de Janeiro.

The upcoming summer games marks the first time a South American city will host the Olympics, and Rousseff says the games will bring "honor and pride" to the country.

Amid a serious economic crisis and the recent Petrobras kickback scandal, Rousseff's administration has had to weather a public maelstrom of frustration. As reported by the BBC, the 67-year old leader says, with the games approaching, her nation will rise to the challenge and will organize a safe and successful summer Olympics.

"We are now 399 days from the opening of the Olympic Games, and on Aug. 5 the whole world will look at us, will see the Olympic flame light up," said Rousseff at the unveiling ceremony, which took place in Brasilia, informing that 12,000 people would be chosen to carry the torch.

The torch relay will start in the Brazilian capital in May and end at Rio's Maracana stadium in August. Each torchbearer -- who will be chosen by the Olympic Committee in the next few months -- will carry the torch (which is made of recycled aluminum) for 300 metres (984.252 feet).

Rousseff has pledged that security will be a priority. As reported in the BBC, until very recently the U.S. had been actively spying on Brazil. According to Wikileaks, a number of senior Brazilian government officials were routinely spied on by the National Security Agency. During her recent visit to the White House, Rousseff seemed to believe that the spying was now over, saying, "Some things have changed. ... I believe President Obama.".

The choice to have the Summer Games in Brazil is not without its controversy.

Preparations for the upcoming events have been met with several delays, and the level of pollution in the waters of the Guanabara Bay, where the sailing and windsurfing events will of course take place, has been a major area of concern.

"We are confident that we can meet the challenge before us," Rousseff said. "We will put on a historic Olympics."