Olympics

Olympic flame handed to Vancouver organizers

Share This Story

Updated Oct 29, 2009 2:51 PM ET
     
 

ATHENS, Greece (AP)

Greek officials handed over the Olympic flame to organizers of next year's Vancouver Winter Games in Thursday's ceremony involving actresses dressed as ancient priestesses. The hand-over took place in the Greek capital at the marble Panathenian Stadium, where the first modern games were held in 1896. Greek Olympic Committee head Spyros Capralos presented the flame, lit last week at Ancient Olympia, to Vancouver Organizing Committee CEO John Furlong during the hour-long ceremony. "Today, we accept the Olympic flame with humility, with respect and with joy," Furlong said. "This moment marks the beginning of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic torch relay - our 106-day odyssey of hope and peaceful celebration leading to the opening of the 21st Olympiad." After an eight-day trip through Greece, the flame will be flown to Canada for a 45,000-kilometer (28,000-mile) journey across the country. The Vancouver Olympics will be held Feb. 12-28. The flame is being kept in a miner's lantern and will be flown in a Canadian military plane to Victoria, British Columbia, on Friday. It will then be carried by about 12,000 torchbearers who are runners, skiers, mountain bikers and other volunteers using horse-drawn carriages, kayaks, tractors and snowmobiles to cross the world's second largest country. Thursday's ceremony was attended by Governor General of Canada Michaelle Jean and Greek President Karolos Papoulias. Several hundred spectators and dignitaries watched Greek-Canadian figure skater Nikki Georgiadis end the Greece leg of the relay and carry the torch into the restored horse shoe-shaped ancient stadium. Fifteen actresses, dressed as priestesses from ancient Greece, carried olive branches and formed a circle around a cauldron while accompanied by music from a flute and drum. Car horns from drivers stuck in traffic due to the ceremony could be heard in the background. Capralos said members of the Greek public have displayed an "overwhelming response" to the torch relay. "In every single meter of the 2,200 kilometers it covered, it met with deeply touched, hospitable hearts, willing to adopt the eternal messages of love, peace, friendship and solidarity among people," he said. Security around the Athens stadium was minimal compared with last year's major police operation, when protests in Greece by pro-Tibetan and human rights groups after the flame was lit for the Beijing Olympics set the stage for similar demonstrations along the international torch route. --- On the Net: Vancouver Olympics: http://www.vancouver2010.com/

Related Stories

FOX Fantasy Football

Trending Now

Stories | Photos | Lists | Videos

Olympics Videos

Olympian charged with murder Posted: Feb 14, 2013
Olympian and Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius arrested and charged in shootin...

Roundtable: Improving the Olympics Posted: Jul 26, 2012
FOXSports.com's Christian Laettner, Dominique Dawes, Maurice Greene and Amy Van ...

Roundtable: Who's the star of USA Basketball? Posted: Jul 15, 2012
Who will be the star of USA Basketball? Maurice Green, Amy Van Dyken and Billy W...

MORE FOXSPORTS VIDEO »

Fox Sports Store

    itemName itemURL imageSrc price itemDescription
    USA Swimming White Dive T-shirt http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Swimming/browse/featuredproduct/616903/source/foxsports_prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616903_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 USA Swimming White Dive T-shirt
    USA Swimming Navy Blue Splash T-shirt http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Swimming/browse/featuredproduct/616928/source/foxsports_prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616928_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 USA Swimming Navy Blue Splash T-shirt
    USA Swimming Ladies White Dive Slim Fit T-shirt http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Swimming/browse/featuredproduct/616940/source/foxsports_prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616940_xl.jpg&w=100 18.95 USA Swimming Ladies White Dive Slim Fit T-shirt
    USA Swimming Ladies Navy Blue Splash Slim Fit T-shirt http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Swimming/browse/featuredproduct/616959/source/foxsports_prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616959_xl.jpg&w=100 18.95 USA Swimming Ladies Navy Blue Splash Slim Fit T-shirt
    USA Swimming Light Blue Swimmer T-shirt http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Swimming/browse/featuredproduct/616971/source/foxsports_prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616971_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 USA Swimming Light Blue Swimmer T-shirt
    Team USA 2012 Winter Olympic Games Innsbruck T-Shirt - Navy Blue http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA/browse/featuredproduct/685844/source/foxsports_prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_685000/ff_685844_xl.jpg&w=100 22.95 Team USA 2012 Winter Olympic Games Innsbruck T-Shirt - Navy Blue
    USA Curling Dare T-Shirt - Ash http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Curling/browse/featuredproduct/697577/source/foxsports_prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_697000/ff_697577_xl.jpg&w=100 18.95 USA Curling Dare T-Shirt - Ash
    USA Curling Dare T-Shirt - White http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Curling/browse/featuredproduct/697578/source/foxsports_prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_697000/ff_697578_xl.jpg&w=100 18.95 USA Curling Dare T-Shirt - White
    USA Curling House T-Shirt - Ash http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Curling/browse/featuredproduct/697581/source/foxsports_prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_697000/ff_697581_xl.jpg&w=100 18.95 USA Curling House T-Shirt - Ash
    USA Curling House T-Shirt - White http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Olympics_USA_Curling/browse/featuredproduct/697582/source/foxsports_prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_697000/ff_697582_xl.jpg&w=100 18.95 USA Curling House T-Shirt - White
Microsoft© 2013 Microsoft