Olympic flame ignited at the cradle of Paris 2024.
The torch for the Paris 2024 Olympics was ignited in ancient Olympia in a traditional ritual, marking the last stretch of the seven-year preparations for the games, which begin on July 26.
Due to gloomy skies, Greek actress Mary Mina who is portraying the high priestess lighted the torch at the commencement of a relay across Greece and France on Tuesday by utilizing a backup flame rather than a parabolic mirror.
The Olympic flame will be lit at the opening ceremony in the French capital, marking the culmination of the event. After 1900 and 1924 Paris will hold the Summer Olympics a third time.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach stated in his address that people are fed up with all the hate, the aggression and negative news they are facing day in and day out in these difficult times we are living through, with wars and conflicts on the rise. We desire for anything that brings us together, unifies us and offers us hope. The Olympic torch which we are igniting today, symbolizes this optimism.
The flame will be officially handed over to Paris Games organizers on April 26 in Athens Panathenaic Stadium, the site of the first modern games in 1896, following an 11-day relay throughout Greece.
The French torch relay will run 68 days and culminate in Paris on July 26 with the lighting of the Olympic flame.
