The Olympic flame begins its journey in Paris

The lighting of the Olympic torch took place this Tuesday in the ruins of ancient Olympiain a traditional ceremony where the god Apollo was invoked and the fire was given to the first bearer, who began his journey to Paris for this summer’s games.

During the ceremony, held at this historic site before each edition of the Winter and Summer Olympic Games since 1936, the actress Meri Miná, in her role as High Priestess of Olympia, lit the Olympic torch heading to Apollo, surrounded by other priests and vestal virgins.

Due to cloudy skies in the area where the first ancient Olympic Games were held, it is not possible to light a fire with the rays of the sunas was the tradition in ancient times, but used a spare fire saved from Monday’s dress rehearsal.

After an 11-day journey to Greece, the flame will be brought to France for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris on July 26.

The lighting of the flame of the Games, which will be held until August 11, took place in front of the ruins of the temple of Hera2,600 years old, in the cradle of Olympism, in the presence of the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach.

“In these difficult times, when wars and conflicts abound, people are fed up with hatred. With all our hearts, we long for something to reunite, something to unite to us, something that will give us hope,” he said in a short speech in Olympia.

“The Olympic flame that we light today symbolizes that hope,” the German also said.

In Greece, 600 torchbearers will pass the flame on its 5,000 km journey through seven Greek islands, ten archaeological sites and the Acropolis, where you’ll spend a night next to the Parthenon.

In the Greek port of Piraeus, the fire will be launched on April 26 aboard the three-masted ship Belemarriving in Marseille, in southeastern France, on May 8.

Next, the symbol of the Olympic Games will cross the whole of France, passing through the Antilles and French Polynesia.