London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay: The lighting ceremony in Olympia

   

London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay: The lighting ceremony in Olympia


With just 78 days until the London 2012 Games begin and under sunny skies, the Olympic flame has been lit in Ancient Olympia during a ceremony organized by the Hellenic Olympic Committee. The flame was created using the sun's rays and a parabolic mirror by the high Priestess -- Ino Menegaki -- at the Temple of Hera. It was then carried into the Ancient Olympic Stadium in a choreographed procession before being used to light the torch of the first torchbearer - British-born Greek open water swimming world champion and three-time Olympian Spyros Gianniotis. The flame will now be taken on an eight-day relay around Greece before being handed over to the London 2012 Organising Committee during a ceremony in Athens at the Panathenaic stadium, ahead of it being taken back to Great Britain, where the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay -- presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung -- gets underway on 19 May.