The 'Torch' That Will Illuminate the Paris Olympics Appears at the Olympia Temple

July 26 Olympic Opening Ceremony Venue Lighting Scheduled

The Olympic flame was created in Greece ahead of the Olympics to be held in France this July.

On the 16th (local time), Greek actress Meri Mina, who played the role of the high priestess, lit the torch using a preliminary flame kindled by natural sunlight the previous day at the Hera Temple in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Olympics.

Greek actress Mary Mina, playing the role of the high priestess, lights the torch at the Hera Temple in Olympia, Greece, on the 16th (local time).
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The flame is originally made by focusing sunlight with a concave mirror at the Hera Temple to ignite the fire. However, due to cloudy weather on that day, the preliminary flame was used.

The lighting ceremony was attended by Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Katerina Sakellaropoulou, President of Greece, Am?lie Oud?a-Cast?ra, French Minister of Sports, and Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, among others.

After an 11-day relay event in Greece, the flame will be handed over to the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on the 26th.

It will then cross the sea aboard the French large sailing ship Belem and arrive at the southern French port city of Marseille on the 8th of next month.

In France, over 10,000 runners will carry the flame through 64 regions over 68 days. On July 26, it is scheduled to be lit at the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.