Athens: Olympic torch handed over to Brazilians

By Magda Panoutsopoulou

ATHENS

The Olympic torch handover ceremony took place at the Panathenaic Stadium in the Greek capital Athens Wednesday where it was handed over to Brazilian organizers.

The journey of the Olympic flame started last week from ancient Olympia, where the torch was lit in a ceremony by the “High Priestess” played by an actress, using the rays of sun and with a prayer to Olympian deity Apollo – god of music, the sun and light.

The flame was then delivered to Greek gymnastics champion Eleftherios Petrounias, who will also be the first runner in a torch relay at the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium on Aug. 5.

Hundreds of runners, amongst them a Syrian refugee, carried the torch covering around 2,234 kilometers (1,388 miles) through Greece.

The torch also passed through a refugee camp in Athens and ancient Acropolis, before it was handed over to Brazilian officials.

The flame will next travel to Switzerland to the United Nations Office in Geneva and the Olympic Museum and from there it will be flown to Brazil, where on May 3 a cross country relay will begin with some 12,000 torchbearers visiting 329 cities and towns.

The 2016 Olympic games will take place in Brazil from August 5 to 21.