2012 Olympic flame lit in ancient stadium
By Anonymous - Friday, 11 May 2012
The Olympics are as much
about tradition and legacy as they are sporting events, with none so
vivid as the lighting of the torch which will now wind its way from
Olympia to the Games in London.
The solemn ceremony, held
in the ruins of the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera, saw actors in
ancient Greek costume use a mirror to harness the sun's rays and light
the Olympic torch.
It marks the start of the
flame's week-long journey to Britain, where it will begin an 8,000-mile
(12,875-kilometer) route across the country before entering at the new
stadium in east London.
Taking center stage in the lighting ceremony was
Greek actress Ino Menegaki as the traditional high priestess. Among the
dignitaries present were International Olympic Committee president Jacques
Rogge and London organizing committee chairman Sebastian Coe.
The first relay runner to take the flame was
Greece's Liverpool-born open water swimming champion Spyros Gianniotis.
He then passed it to 19-year-old British boxer
Alexander Loukos, who grew up in east London where the Olympic Stadium is now
situated, but whose father hails from Greece.
Making its way to Britain, the flame will first take
in Greek archaeological sites including the Acropolis and Olympic Stadium in
Athens, site of the first modern Games in 1896.
Arriving on May 19 at Land's End in the far
southwest of England, it will then wind its way through 1,019 communities,
carried by 8,000 torch-bearers.
The final leg will run from Hampton Court Palace,
the former home of King Henry VIII, before arriving at the opening ceremony on
July 27.
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