The torch relay for the Paris 2024 Olympics has begun in Greece, where the torch was lit at the birthplace of the games in ancient Olympia. The traditional ceremony marked the final leg of the seven-year preparations for the games, which will start on July 26.
Greek actress Mary Mina, portraying the high priestess, used a backup flame instead of a parabolic mirror due to cloudy skies to light the torch for the relay in Greece and France. The Olympic flame will be lit in Paris at the opening ceremony, as the city hosts the Summer Olympics for the third time after 1900 and 1924.
In a speech, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach spoke of the hope and unity symbolized by the Olympic flame, especially during these challenging times of increasing wars and conflicts.
The flame will be passed to Paris Games organizers in Athens’s Panathenaic Stadium on April 26 after an 11-day relay across Greece. It will then travel to France on the three-masted ship, the Belem, arriving in Marseille on May 8, where up to 150,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony in the Old Port.
Marseille, founded by Greek settlers, will host the sailing competitions. The French torch relay will last 68 days and conclude in Paris with the lighting of the Olympic flame on July 26.