Paris 2024 Games torch relay launched at Olympic birthplace
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 16.04.24. | 18:20
The torch harks back to the ancient Olympics when a sacred flame burned throughout the Games. The tradition was revived in 1936 for the Berlin Olympics.
The Olympic flame for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 burst into life on Tuesday, 16 April during a special ceremony at the archaeological site of Olympia—the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games.
🗣️ “Apollo, God of sun, and the idea of light, send your rays and light the sacred torch for the hospitable city of Paris. And you, Zeus, give peace to all peoples on earth and wreath the winners of the Sacred Race.”#Paris2024 | @Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/FHMEmJ134U
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) April 16, 2024
During a ritual that links the modern Olympia Games to its ancient origins, the Olympic flame was lit in front of the ruins of the temple of Hera by an actress playing the part of the high priestess.
Several important dignitaries including IOC President Thomas Bach and Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet were in attendance for the event, which marked the start of the flame's journey from Greece to Paris, where it will arrive on 26 July for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The flame was lit in a ritual inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises.
“The Olympic flame that we are lighting today symbolizes this hope for a better future," said Bach.
Carrying the flame in a pot, Greek actress Mary Mina lit the torch for the first bearer, 2020 Olympic rowing champion Stefanos Ntouskos.
Retired swimmer Laure Manaudou, who won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, followed as France's first torchbearer in Olympia.
The torch harks back to the ancient Olympics when a sacred flame burned throughout the Games. The tradition was revived in 1936 for the Berlin Olympics.
During the 11-day relay on Greek soil, some 600 torchbearers will carry the flame over a distance of 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) through 41 municipalities.
"In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even – and in particular – during times of war and conflict," Bach said.
"Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition," he added.
Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message: yes, it is possible to compete fiercely against each other and at the same time live peacefully together under one roof.
Officials on Tuesday stressed that the Paris Games will set new milestones, following the legacy of the other two prior Olympics held in the French capital.
© Agence France-Press
