Overview
- Rain forecasts prevented the traditional sun-lighting at the Temple of Hera, so the flame lit during Monday’s outdoor rehearsal was used and ceremony elements were held inside the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.
- Greek rower Petros Gaidatzis served as the first torchbearer after receiving the flame from actress Mary Mina in the priestess role.
- IOC president Kirsty Coventry attended the launch and underscored the Games’ message of peace during her first ceremony as the committee’s leader.
- The flame now begins a nine-day, 2,200-kilometer relay across Greece before the handover at Athens’ Panathenaic Stadium on December 4.
- The Italian leg starts December 6 in Rome and spans 63 days and 12,000 kilometers with 10,001 torchbearers, featuring early runs by Stefania Belmondo and Armin Zöggeler and scheduled arrivals in Cortina d’Ampezzo on January 26 and Milan on February 6.