The Olympic torch is scheduled to be lit at Ancient Olympia in the Peloponnese, Thursday at 12 midday, in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
The ceremony will see actress Katerina Lechou assume the role of high priestess, as a member of a female chorus performing a celebration at the Temple of Hera, and kindle the torch by the light of the sun in a parabolic mirror.
She will then give the flame to the first torch bearer of the Rio 2016 Summer Games, Greek world gymnastics champion Lefteris Petrounias, who will in turn pass it on to Brazilian former-volleyball star Ziovani Gavio. 29 priestesses, 13 dancers and 4 female youths will be part of a ceremonial dance performance.
A dress rehearsal of the ceremony for the lighting of the Olympic Flame was held without a hitch in Ancient Olympic on Wednesday, before an audience of roughly 3,000 people.
Dress rehearsal
The weather was ideal and preparations began early in the morning, with the arrival of the first visitors coming to the Ancient Olympia archaeological site.
They included several coaches of schoolchildren that had come to watch the dress rehearsal, which was led by actress Katerina Lehou in the role of High Priestess.
The official torch-lighting ceremony, held every two years at the ancient site where the Olympic Games began nearly 3,000 years earlier, takes place on Thursday, when the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch Relay begins.
Police had taken heightened security measures for the dress rehearsal, both inside and outside Ancient Olympia, even though Wednesday’s dress rehearsal was open to the public free of charge.
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