Milan-Cortina: Torchlight today from the archaeological museum in Olympia
OLYMPIA_ The Flame, or rather the Flames (for there are four of them) have been burning in Olympia since last Monday. Lit with a parabolic mirror as tradition dictates for what was originally a religious rite that has now become part of Olympic tradition. Adverse weather conditions will not allow for an outdoor ceremony. Only a few guests will be able to witness the lighting of the torch inside the Archaeological Museum of Athens. There have been many flames lit indoors at Olympia, but in the archaeological museum the only precedent is that of GRENOBLE 1968.
An appointment that falls right in the middle of serious international crises and unresolved wars such as the one in Ukraine.
A moment full of emotion and hope was experienced yesterday at the Museum of the Modern Olympic Games in Olympia, which hosted the Olympic Truce Declaration Ceremony in the afternoon. The event was attended by CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio, Deputy Vice-President Diana Bianchedi and, above all, IOC President Kirsty Coventry, together with the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea ABODI, the President of the Milan-Cortina Foundation Giovanni Malago', and IOC members Ivo Ferriani and Federica Pellegrini, as well as the Italian Ambassador to Greece Paolo Cuculli.
Yesterday was a general rehearsal day, coordinated by choreographer Artemi Ignatiou. Starring High Priestess Mary Mina, first torchbearer Petros Gaidatzis, the Priestesses and Kouroi, soprano Christina Poulitsi and actor.
The ceremony in Olympia will kick off a nine-day relay on Greek soil, which will cross some 2,200 km, touching seven regions of Greece, with 36 welcoming ceremonies planned along the way. More than 450 torchbearers will take part in this first phase of the Journey of the Flame, in an itinerary celebrating Greece's connection with Olympic ideals. The first torchbearer, as anticipated, will be rower Petros Gaidatzis, bronze medallist in Paris 2024, who will hand over the torch to cross-country skier Stefania Belmondo and sledging champion Armin Zoeggler.
