News A 12-year-old Syrian refugee whose family has begun a new life in São Paulo said she felt like a Brazilian after carrying the Olympic flame on the first day of the Rio 2016 Torch Relay on Tuesday (3 May) Hanan Khaled Daqqah paid tribute to the country that has welcomed her family since they fled their war-torn nation and settled in Brazil's largest city “I was so happy to carry the Olympic Torch because I would never have imagined that this could happen,” she told Rio2016 com “It was a very special moment I love the Brazilian people, I feel Brazilian myself ” Asked if she had a message for the world's refugees, Hanan said: “I wish that they can all live in peace, without wars and with their friends ” Everyday heroes share limelight with VIPs on first day of torch relay Daqqah's family fled their home in Idlib, in the north west of Syria, after her father was imprisoned and threatened for helping friends escape the war-torn country After living for two and a half years in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, the family started a new life in São Paulo in 2015, under a humanitarian programme run by the Brazilian government The government said about 8,000 special visas have been issued to Syrians under the initiative Hanan lives with her parents, older brother and baby sister, plus uncles and four cousins in a small apartment in São Paulo Her mother is pregnant so Hanan will soon have a Brazilian-born brother Totally integrated with Brazilian life, Hanan studies at a public school near her home, speaks Portuguese fluently and has many Brazilian friends “My friends will love it (when I get back to school), they will be very happy for me,” Hanan said Another Syrian refugee – swimmer Ibrahim Al-Hussein, who lost part of his leg in a bombing – carried the Rio 2016 torch through a refugee camp in Athens last week Meanwhile, the IOC is mounting a team of refugees who will compete under the Olympic flag at the Rio 2016 Games Refugee judokas searching for peace while fighting for their Olympic dream in Rio Hanan was chosen by Rio 2016 after a recommendation by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Brazil The president of Brazil's national committee for refugees (Conare), Beto Vasconcelos, said: “The Olympic Games are an international event which represent unity, solidarity, respect and peace between peoples Therefore it's an opportunity to call attention to the sad human drama of the worst humanitarian crisis in 70 years ”