Taiwan attends Olympics flame lighting ceremony for first time in 60 years

Taiwan attends Olympics flame lighting ceremony for first time in 60 years

2024-04-17

With just 100 days to go before the Paris Olympics, the Olympic flame was lit in a tightly choreographed ceremony on Tuesday. The event took place in the ancient city of Olympia, Greece. For the first time in 60 years, a Taiwan representative was invited to witness the moment. Taiwan was also invited to take part in the relay that will take the sacred flame all the way to France.

Fire keepers light the flame for the Paris Olympics at the ruins of Olympia’s Temple of Hera, the oldest temple in the ancient city.

The first torchbearer is Greek Olympic rower Stefanos Ntouskos. In his right hand, he holds the torch, which symbolizes the continuity between the ancient and modern games. In his left hand, he holds an olive branch, which symbolizes peace. He hands the flame and branch on to the first torchbearer from the host nation, French swimmer Laure Manadou, kicking off the torch relay.

Taiwan’s Lin Hong-dow reaches up to light the furnace, as cheers ring out from residents of the small town of Zacharo. Lin, the head of Taiwan’s Olympic committee, received the sacred flame from International Olympic Academy consultant Dionyssis Gangas. This is the first time in 60 years that a Taiwan representative was invited to watch the Olympic flame lighting ceremony. Lin also played an important role in the torch relay.

The Olympic flame will travel across Greece for 11 days, arriving at Athens’ Panathenaic Stadium, the site of the first modern Olympic Games, on April 26. The next day, the flame will depart for France, arriving in Marseille on May 8. It will then travel to 64 territories in France, before reaching the shores of the River Seine in Paris for the Olympics opening ceremony. This will be France’s first time hosting the games in a century.

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