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Olympic flame lit in Greece

Mon 24th, March 2008

Olympia, Greece (Sports Network) - The flame that will burn in Beijing this summer for the Olympic Games was lit on Monday in a ceremony where the ancient games took place.

The flame was lit successfully by an actress portraying a holy priestess, according to the traditional ritual, using the sun's rays and a parabolic mirror.

Once the flame was lit, it was brought to the ancient Olympic Stadium and handed to the first of many runners who will carry the torch through a relay that will eventually conclude in Beijing for the start of the 2008 Games on August 8.

The torch will cross five continents and stop in 21 cities around the world before reaching China, where it will stop in over 100 places. On August 8, it will enter the Olympic Stadium in Beijing during the Opening Ceremony to light the Olympic cauldron.

Demonstrators attempted to disrupt Monday's ceremony, running onto the field at the stadium during the speech of Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee. One of the protestors carried a black flag with handcuffs symbolizing the Olympic rings.

Police eventually apprehended the demonstrators.

China's human rights record has come into question, particularly with recent unrest in Tibet.

Talk of boycotting the Games has surfaced and protests could hinder the torch relay, although Chinese officials have said they will attempt to make the route secure.

Monday's ceremony was attended by Greek President Karolos Papoulias; the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Minos X. Kyriakou; and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, who stated the torch relay should promote harmony and peace.

"The 2008 Olympic Torch Relay wants to be a journey of harmony, bringing the message of peace to people of different nationalities, cultures and creeds," said Rogge.

The relay will continue in Greece through the end of the month and the torch will first head to Beijing on March 31. It will pass through numerous cities around the world in April, including London, Paris and San Francisco.

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