Nearly 100 days before the 2024 Paris Games open, the Olympic flame will be lit in ancient Olympia today, setting off for a torch relay stretching from the Acropolis to French Polynesia.
It is the first time since events were scaled down because of the Covid-19 pandemic that spectators will be able to attend the flame-lighting ceremony and relay.
Some 600 dignitaries are expected to attend today’s ceremony headed by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
The ritual will see actresses in the role of ancient priestesses coaxing the Olympic flame into life with the help of a parabolic polished mirror in Olympia, southwestern Greece, where the Games were born in 776 BC.
American mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato is set to deliver the Olympic anthem.
With cloudy skies forecast for today, the flame was successfully lit in a rehearsal on Monday, providing for a backup that can be used if necessary during the official ceremony.
The storied vessel Belem, meantime, arrived at the port of Katakolon the same day to ferry the flame across the Mediterranean to its first stop in Marseille. The journey will then continue throughout France, spreading the timeless message of the Olympics and reaching Paris at the end of July for the start of the Games.