Greece Lights Olympic Flame in Spectacular Ceremony near Ancient Temple Ruins
A symbolic event took place today at the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in the southern Greek city of Olympia, where the Olympic flame was lit. This marked the beginning of the countdown to the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Paris, which is 101 days away, Ekathimerini and Le Figaro reported.
The elaborate ceremony took place in front of the 2,600-year-old ruins of the Temple of Hera, the cradle of Olympism, in the presence of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.
"In these difficult times, when wars and conflicts are on the rise, people have had enough of hate," he said in a short speech in Olympia. "In all our hearts we long for something that brings us together again, something that unites us, something that gives us hope," he added.
"The Olympic flame that we are lighting today symbolises this hope," the German also assured.
Tony Estange, President of the Paris Olympic Organising Committee, also saw these Olympic Games as "more than ever a source of inspiration (...) for all of us and for future generations" while the world is shaken by crises.
The flame will now travel some 5,000km across Greek territory over 11 days before reaching the port of Piraeus, south of Athens, where it will board the Belém ship bound for Marseille on 26 April. Before reaching France, it will pass through Martinique or New Caledonia to finally be transported to Paris for the Opening Ceremony on 26 July.
Since 1936, the Olympic Torch Lighting Ceremony has been held in Olympia shortly before the start of the Olympic Games and is a recreation of the traditions of Ancient Greece. The idea of recreating the tradition was the result of Greek-German cooperation on the eve of the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany, which was full of fanfare and swastikas. It was based on a mechanism mentioned by ancient authors in a non-Olympic context, and served the desire to combine the games of antiquity with a modern revival. The 1936 innovation included a torch relay all the way to Berlin, and has been followed with modifications ever since.
As The Gaze previously wrote, security measures will be tightened in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games, and huge Olympic rings will be installed on the Eiffel Tower.
