"I do not intend to participate in the Olympics [opening ceremony] in a secondary role," Rousseff told Radio France Internationale in an interview on Tuesday, pointing at being suspended for 180 days by the parliament and adding that in any case the Games in Rio are the fruit of labor of the former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
In May, the upper house of the Brazilian parliament voted 55-22 to start impeachment proceedings against Rousseff after she was accused of concealing the country’s budget deficit ahead of the 2014 re-election.
Rousseff regards the impeachment proceedings as a coup attempt. She has been suspended from office for 180 days, pending trial. Vice President Michel Temer is assuming presidency during that period.
It has been reported that da Silva himself also refused to participate in the opening ceremony despite being invited by the International Olympic Committee.
The Olympics in Rio will be held on August 5-21 with the opening ceremony on the Maracana stadium.
