NewsLab

“Apollo, God of the Sun and the Idea of Light, send your rays and light the holy torch for the hospitable city of Beijing.”

And the Gods replied!

(AP photo-Thanassis Stavrakis)

Using a parabolic mirror directed towards the sun, a Greek actress, acting as the high priestess, lit the Olympic flame in front of the ruins of the temple of Hera. The Flame was carried to the ancient stadium of Olympia, where 21 Greek priestesses dressed in white gowns, danced to the beat of drums. And the countdown to the Beijing Olympics began!

(source ERT)

But the ceremony was shortly interrupted when pro-Tibet activists, members of the French human rights group Reporters without Borders forced into the stadium. While Liu Qi, the head of the Beijing Olympic organising committee, was speaking, the three activists chanted pro-Tibetan slogans and then, one of them approached the speaker and unfurled a black flag portraying the Olympic rings made from handcuffs.

(Source ERT)

Among the protesters was the RSF secretary general Robert Menard, who was presented with the Legion of Honour, France’s top civilian award, by President Nicolas Sarkozy, on Sunday. Smaller protests also took place during the first few kilometres of the relay.
Later, head of International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge made an appeal for the stop of violence in Tibet.

The journey of the Olympic flame has just started and it will be the longest ever, even topping Mount Everest with the contribution of well-equipped climbers. A total of 605 torch bearers will carry the flame in the Greek leg and cover a distance of 1528 kilometres. The Olympic torch will be carried in a 136,000km around-the-world before arriving in Beijing for the start of the Games on 8 August.