Paris 2024 Olympic flame lit in Greece at ancient birthplace of the Games

The sacred flame for the Paris 2024 Olympics was lit Tuesday in ancient Olympia, birthplace of the ancient Games, setting off an epic three-month torch relay to the July 26 opening ceremony.

Cloudy skies prevented the traditional lighting, when an actress dressed as an ancient Greek priestess uses the sun to ignite a silver torch.

Instead, a backup flame was used that had been lit on the same spot Monday, during the final rehearsal.

The torch relay will culminate with the lighting of the Olympic flame in the French capital at the Games' opening ceremony. Paris will host the summer Olympics for a third time after 1900 and 1924.

"In these difficult times we are living through, with wars and conflicts on the rise, people are fed up with all the hate, the aggression and negative news they are facing day in and day out," International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said in his speech.

"We are longing for something which brings us together, something that is unifying, something that gives us hope. The Olympic flame that we are lighting today is the symbol of this hope."

The flame will be officially handed over to Paris Games organisers in Athens's Panathenaic stadium, site of the first modern Games in 1896, on April 26 after an 11-day relay across Greece.

Marseille, founded by the Greek settlers of Phocaea around 600 BCE, will host the Olympic sailing competitions.

Read more on FRANCE 24 English

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