In birthplace of games, the Olympic flame is Lighted
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-03-26 14:49

From the ancient Greek grounds that gave birth to the Games, the Olympic flame sparked to life on Thursday, setting off on a global odyssey to be capped by its arrival in Athens in time for the Summer Games, which begin on Aug. 13.

Greek actress Thalia Prokopiou, dressed in a white robe as the high-priestess, lights a torch using the sun rays in a parabolic mirror during the traditional Olympic lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia March 25, 2004. The Olympic Torch Relay started its trip around the globe, to last 78 days and more than 78,000 km before the beginning of the Games in Athens on August 13. The torch will arrive in China for relay in June. [Reuters]

The flame was lighted by the sun's rays using a burnished-steel mirror mounted in the ruins of a sanctuary where Greeks prayed during the original games, nearly 3,000 years ago.

"We waited for this day with great anticipation," said Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, the president of the Athens organizing committee. "It is the first time in 108 years that the flame will return here to mark the start of the Summer Games."

More than 10,000 people packed the pine-covered hills that cradle the adjacent ancient stadium to watch the ceremony, which was attended by several dignitaries and aristocrats and featured a large police presence that included commandos concealed in laurel groves.

For all its grandeur, though, the flame-lighting ceremony was yet another reminder of the limited time remaining for organizers to complete their preparations.

With less than 140 days left until the start of the Games and nearly half the sites ready, the International Olympic Committee has given Greece until next week to decide whether to scrap or scale back some projects, including a roof over the main stadium and widening of the historic marathon route. Already, organizers have abandoned plans to build a roof over the outdoor pool.

The torch-lighting ceremony was led by Thalia Prokopiou, an actress dressed in the Greek sheath of a high priestess. She was accompanied by 26 additional priestesses who marched to the slow beat of a drum, escorting the flame over a hill covered with camomile and into the grounds of an ancient stadium.

There, the flame was passed to the first torch-bearer, the Greek javelin champion Costas Gatzioudis, who ran out of the arena as a priestess released a dove symbolizing peace. The ceremony marked the start of a 78,000-kilometer (48,467-mile), 78-day relay across five continents.

"Whether young or old, male or female, whether we live in a rich or disadvantaged country, the flame will unite us all," said Jacques Rogge, the president of the I.O.C.

The torch, a steel-and-wood design in the shape of an olive leaf, will tour all cities that have played host to the Summer Olympics.

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