The Olympic flame for the Tokyo 2020 games was ignited Thursday at the ancient Olympia — the birthplace of the ancient games — in a scaled-down ceremony due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Anadolu reports that the flame was lit naturally by the rays of the sun in a ceremony by actress Xanthi Georgiou, in the role of the high priestess.
She passed the relay to first woman torchbearer, Greek Olympic champion — Anna Korakaki — who then delivered the torch to the 2004 Olympic Games Marathon winner in Athens, Mizuki Noguchi. European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas and European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel ran as the third and fourth torchbearers, respectively.
epaselect epa08288648 Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou in the role of the High Priestess lights the torch of the Olympic Flame during the Lighting Ceremony? of the Olympic Flame for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, in front of Hera Temple in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on 12 March 2020. EPA-EFE/VASSILIS PSOMAS
epa08289143 Greek actresses in the role of priestesses perform during the Lighting Ceremony? of the Olympic Flame for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, in front of Hera Temple in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on 12 March 2020. EPA-EFE/VASSILIS PSOMAS
epa08289066 Greek torchbearer Anna Korakaki (L), 2016 Olympic gold medallist in 25m pistol, receives the Olympic flame from Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou (R) in the role of the High Priestess during the Lighting Ceremony? of the Olympic Flame for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, in front of Hera Temple in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on 12 March 2020. EPA-EFE/VASSILIS PSOMAS
epa08289065 Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou in the role of the High Priestess lights the torch of the Olympic Flame during the Lighting Ceremony? of the Olympic Flame for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, in front of Hera Temple in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on 12 March 2020. EPA-EFE/VASSILIS PSOMAS
epa08288989 Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou in the role of the High Priestess lights the torch of the Olympic Flame during the Lighting Ceremony? of the Olympic Flame for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, in front of Hera Temple in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on 12 March 2020. EPA-EFE/VASSILIS PSOMAS
epa08288916 The second torchbearer, Japanese 2004 Olympic marathon champion, Mizuki Noguchi (R) passes the torch of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to the European Commissioner for Promoting the European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas (L) following the lighting of the Olympic flame in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Ancient Olympia, 12 March 2020. EPA-EFE/VASSILIS PSOMAS
epa08288597 A Greek actress in the role of a Priestess holds a pot with the Olympic Flame during the Lighting Ceremony? of the Olympic Flame for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, in front of Hera Temple in Ancient Olympia, Greece, 12 March 2020. EPA-EFE/VASSILIS PSOMAS
Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos and President International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach, among other guests, joined the lighting ceremony.
“The ceremony demonstrates once more our commitment to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” said Bach. “Nineteen weeks before the opening ceremony, we are strengthened in this commitment by the many authorities and sports organizations around the world, which are taking so many significant measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.”
The torch will be handed over to Tokyo 2020 organizers at an ancient stadium in Athens — where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896 — on March 19 after a seven-day journey in Greece. The summer games are scheduled to start on July 24.
