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In the face of capricious and cloudy weather, the flame had been lit the day before in the temple of Hera by the rays of the sun, according to ancient tradition. Four years after an edition interrupted by Covid, the rite took place under the eyes of a giant audience and six hundred guests. ” It’s a great pride that we’re coming down here, it’s very special,” enthuses Athanasia Papaïoannou. Originally from Olympia and dressed for the occasion as a priestess of antiquity, the young woman traveled with her family circle to “honor Greek civilization. “”The whole world is watching, it’s a moment of unity and fraternity,” he insisted.
“To bring other people together, to unify them, to give hope”
In the presence of the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the President of the Organizing Committee, Tony Estanguet, and the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, the “High Priestess” brought the flame to the ancient shrine, delivering a speech of peace.
“We aspire to anything that unites us, that unifies us, that gives us hope,” Bach said. Dreams of the Olympic dream, the founding precept of Olympism in ancient Greece, seem far removed from the realities of Ukraine and Palestine. “The Games constitute peace, the unity of all the countries of the world, although the truth is different, we must be optimistic,” said Régis Pinaud. This retiree from the Pays des Angels Loire must “send a message of peace from the cradle of Olympism. “
READ ALSO. MAINTENANCE. With 100 days to go until the 2024 Olympic Games, Tony Estanguet
Greek Olympic rowing champion in Tokyo, Stefanos Douskos, was the first torchbearer, followed by French swimmer Laure Manaudou, who won gold in Athens in 2004. The Olympic flame travelled across Greece for ten days before being handed over to the Paris 2024 delegation in a rite at the Panathenaea. Athens Stadium on April 26. He boarded the ship Belem the next day and arrived across the Mediterranean to Marseilles on 8 May.