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1 of 3 | The lighted Olympic torch is readied successful Olympia, Greece, early Tuesday for its 3,100-mile relay travel to Paris for nan charismatic opening ceremonial of nan 2024 Olympic Games connected July 26. Photo by George Vitsaras/EPA-EFE
April 16 (UPI) -- A symbolic lighting of nan Olympic torch early Tuesday successful Olympia, Greece, heralded nan coming of nan 2024 Paris Olympics this summer.
The ceremonial astatine nan tract of nan stadium wherever nan Olympics first were held successful 776 B.C. drew luminaries and nan wide public, CNN reported.
The choreographed ceremonial marked nan commencement of nan accepted torch relay, during which runners transportation nan torch much than 3,100 miles this twelvemonth to nan tract of nan 2024 Olympic Games successful Paris.
"In these difficult times we are surviving through, pinch wars and conflicts connected nan rise, group are fed up pinch each nan hate, nan aggression and antagonistic news they are facing time successful and time out," IOC President Thomas Bach told torch-lighting attendees, inferring that nan Olympics coming a more-positive world connection astir bid and relationship among nations.
The occurrence represents relationship and peace, nan International Olympic Committee said, but cloudy conditions aborted an effort to usage a parabolic reflector to attraction nan sun's rays to ray nan torch. Event organizers utilized a pre-lit flame, instead.
The lighting ceremonial included salient Greek actors dressed arsenic ancient priestesses from nan Temple of Hera, on pinch dancers. According to Greek mythology, Hera was nan woman of Zeus and is considered nan queen of nan alleged Twelve Olympians of mythological yore.
Actor Mary Mina played nan domiciled of a precocious priestess and carried nan occurrence successful an urn to Olympia's ancient stadium and gave it to nan first torchbearer. She besides presented nan torchbearer pinch an oliva branch, symbolizing peace.
Stefanos Ntouskos, a Greek Olympic golden medal-winning rower, was nan first runner to transportation nan torch connected its travel to France.
The opening ceremonial for nan Paris Olympic is scheduled July 26, erstwhile nan relayed torch will ray nan event's Olympic flame.
The ceremonial torch lighting and relay first began during nan 1936 Berlin Olympics.
