Igniting the Journey to Paris 2024: The Olympic Flame

Tuesday 16 April 2024 - 07:52

With just under 100 days remaining until the grand opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the sacred flame will be kindled on Tuesday at the historic site of Olympia in Greece, heralding the commencement of an extraordinary voyage that will carry it from the iconic Acropolis to Paris, with a notable stop in French Polynesia along the way.

Following two editions overshadowed by COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021 for the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics, the traditional ceremony at the birthplace of Olympism will once again exude its full vitality, witnessed by a myriad of dignitaries.

Within the hallowed grounds of Olympia, against the backdrop of the ancient Temple of Hera, the "high priestess," bedecked in attire reminiscent of antiquity, will oversee the ignition of the flame amidst an assembly of approximately 600 guests, including the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach.

Nikos Aliagas, the Franco-Greek television and radio personality chosen to host the event, conveyed to AFP the profound significance of this ritual in such a venerable setting, precisely 101 days ahead of the Paris Games' opening ceremony scheduled from July 26 to August 11.

"Symbols hold great weight in Greece. We are partaking in something universal, carrying forth a heritage not our own," he remarked, underscoring his role as a bridge between Greece and France.

The esteemed Greek actress Mary Mina will portray the role of the "high priestess" during the ceremony. The entirety of Olympia, despite enduring the ravages of earthquakes and floods throughout history, was consecrated to Zeus, with the Games serving as homage to the deity. Among the ruins once stood a statue of the "god of gods," now counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

In adherence to tradition, the ceremony unfolds near the stadium where ancient athletes competed in the inaugural Games in the 8th century BC. During that era, women were barred from participation, a prohibition that endured until the cessation of the ancient Games in 393 AD.

Meanwhile, in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron initiated the Olympic countdown on Monday, assuring the populace regarding security measures for the opening ceremony along the Seine, while outlining contingency plans, primarily focused on the Trocadéro or the Stade de France, in response to potential terrorist threats.

The process of lighting the flame in Olympia involves utilizing the sun and a cylindro-parabolic mirror, a technique dating back to antiquity: sunlight focused by the mirror generates intense heat, giving rise to the flame.

Although weather forecasts anticipate cloudy skies on Tuesday in the western region of the Peloponnese peninsula (southwest), contingencies have been devised to ensure the flame's ignition even in the event of overcast or rainy conditions.

Following the lighting ceremony, the torchbearer Stefanos Ntouskos, Olympic rowing champion from the Tokyo Games, will carry the torch, succeeded by French swimmer Laure Manaudou, the first French relay runner, as announced by the Greek Olympic committee.

Embarking on an 11-day journey across Greece, the flame will traverse approximately 5,000 kilometers from the island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea to the picturesque Santorini in the Cyclades, with a stopover in Kastellorizo in the southeast of the country. It will also grace the Acropolis, spending a night near the Parthenon.

Subsequently, on April 26, the flame will be transferred to French organizers at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, the site of the inaugural modern Olympic Games in 1896.

Departing from the Port of Piraeus, south of Athens, aboard the historic three-masted sailing ship Belem, the flame will arrive in Marseille, southeastern France, on May 8.

The Olympic flame will journey across France, traversing the French Antilles and French Polynesia, before culminating in Paris on the day of the opening ceremony, July 26.

In antiquity, the perpetually burning flame symbolized the lofty ideals of peace and unity among nations.