The flame for the Rio Olympics will be lit Thursday in Ancient Olympia. The torch will then travel around Greece before being handed over to Brazil in Athens next week. The rehearsal was held Wednesday, and this year’s torch relay will have extra meaning.
Actress Katerina Lehou (R) lights a pot with the Olympic Flame, during the dress rehearsal of the lighting of the Olympic flame at Ancient Olympia, in western Greece on April 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
The lighting of the Olympic flame in Ancient Olympia is an iconic moment in sport. A meticulously choreographed dress rehearsal took place at the venue where the Olympics were once held for more than 1,000 years. The flame was lit by a priestess before the Temple of Hera. The ceremony then proceeded to the restored Olympia stadium.
This year, the torch relay will have extra significance as it will pass through the Eleanos refugee camp near Athens. A Syrian refugee will be among the torchbearers.
“Well Olympianism is peace, friendship, truce, so of course it has to pass via a camp, a refugee camp to show the people what is the importance of peace, truce and what is the importance of helping and sitting someone who is desperate and someone who is in need of help,” said Isidoros Kouvelos, president of International Olympic Academy.
A flame will be kept as a back-up in case cloudy skies or rain derail Thursday’s ceremony. For those involved in the ceremony, the dress rehearsal offered the chance to see their work finally come alive.
"The message that was supposed to be put across was peace with the Olympic games. I wanted it to be topical: 21st century, the peace between man and planet,” said costume designer Eleni Kyriacou.
“I wanted that to come across so being at peace with our environment, and this is something that is very important lesson to be gained from the Greeks, the ancient Greeks because in their religion, the land was sacred and holy, they worshiped sun, moon, wind, sea. But seeing it together with the music and the choreography, I think it all came together really nicely.”
The dress-rehearsal appeared to proceed fairly seamlessly. And shortly the Olympic flame will be lit for real and then its journey towards Rio 2016 will begin.
