Londres 2012 - Relais de la Flamme (Parcours, Torches, Uniformes....)

The Greek leg of the Olympic Torch Relay for the Olympic Games "London 2012", was announced by the Hellenic Olympic Committee.

The Ceremony will be held in Ancient Olympia on May 10 at noon in the presence of IOC President Dr. Jacques Rogge. The Flame will be handed over to the British delegation on May 17 at 19:00 at the Panathenaic Stadium.

The suggestion for the first torchbearer is the World Champion of swimming Spyros Gianniotis, while the next plenary session of the HOC will also decide for the last torchbearer, who will light the altar at the Panathenaic Stadium.
The event was attended by the President of the International Olympic Academy Mr. Isidoros Kouvelos, the Chairman of the Olympic Preparation Commission of the HOC Mr. Giannis Vassiliadis, the member of the HOC Mr. Giannis Karras, Mr. Spyros Philipas, President and CEO of BMW Hellas, sponsor of HOC and with the cooperation of which the Olympic Torch Relay is being held, as well as representatives of other sponsors.

In his address, the President of the HOC, Mr. Spyros Capralos, said among other things: "The Torch Relay this year, despite the extremely difficult economic conditions experienced by our country, includes several innovations. You will of course wonder how it is possible, in times of crisis and spending cuts, to prepare a Torch relay that travels across the biggest part of the country, and, of course, entails a significant cost.

The answer is simple. From the first time, our efforts were focused on how not to burden the Greek state with any costs and on how not to spend money coming from taxes paid by Greeks, who suffer so much. And we're really proud because our goal has been achieved. The costs of travel of the Flame came from donations and offers of local municipalities and individuals, who contributed greatly to making this dream trip.
But more important for us is the particular symbolism of the torch relay and its messages. Messages, more timely than ever. We believe that in times not only of economic crisis, but rather a crisis of human and social values, the ideals of Olympism and sport, peace, cooperation, fair play, participation, friendship, concord and harmonious coexistence of different cultures and mentalities, are ideals that can give us hope again for a better future and more importantly the strength to fight for it.
The Flame symbolizes all these ideas and ideals and that is why we wanted the Flame to go everywhere in Greece. Its birth and journey is a great opportunity to remember that it all started from here. The culture, the arts, democracy, respect for human existence, were the legacy of Hellenism to all humanity and still are the main reasons that the modern Greeks should feel proud and use this legacy as an answer to those who try to discredit the country.

Closing, I would like to point out once again that without private initiative neither the Torch Relay nor many of HOC’s events would be possible, "concluded Mr. Capralos

The Torch Relay was presented by the Chairman of the Torch Relay Commission Mr Spiros Zannias, noting that the Flame will cover approximately 3000 km on Greek soil, passing through 43 cities in the hands of approximately 500 torchbearers.
The event was attended by the High Priestess Ino Menegaki who said: "It's a great honor for me to be High Priestess in the Lighting Ceremony of the Olympic Flame and I promise to always try to be worthy of this honor."

The Choreographer Artemis Ignatiou who also attended stated: "This year's Lighting of the Flame will be very important for us Greeks and this is because at a time when our national pride has been hurt, at a time when Greece as a country and the Greek people receive negative publicity, the Lighting of the Olympic Flame can be a positive promotion of Greece abroad. It can make us feel proud again and remind the international community and ourselves that Greece can continue to produce light. We will be ready on May 10, along with Michael Messinis who is the composer of music for the ceremony, to light the flame in a simple and imposing ceremony and pass values ​​around the world. "

The program:

1st DAY 10-5-12

ANCIENT OLYMPIA (LIGHTING OF THE OLYMPIC FLAME) - PYRGOS - AMALIADA - ANCIENT ILIDA - KORIVOS - GASTOUNI - LECHAINA - KORINTHOS - PIRAEUS

(TRANSFER TO CHANIA, CRETE BY BOAT)

2nd DAY 11-5-12

KISSAMOS - CHANIA - RETHYMNO - KNOSSOS - AGIOS NIKOLAOS - MALIA - CHERSONISSOS - IRAKLIO

3rd DAY 12-5-12

PIRAEUS - PATRAS - RIO - AMFILOCHIA - VONITSA - PREVEZA - PARGA - IGOUMENITSA - IOANNINA

4th DAY 13-5-12

IOANNINA - KOZANI - VERIA - THESSALONICA - KAVALA

5th DAY 14-5-12

KAVALA - KOMOTINI- KIPI (FRONTIER GUARDHOUSE) - FERES - ALEXANDROUPOLI - XANTHI - DRAMA

6th DAY 15-5-12

DRAMA - ALISTRATI - SERRES - KATERINI - LARISA - VOLOS - LAMIA

7th DAY 16-5-12

LAMIA - CHALKIDA - PERISTERI - PIRAEUS - ATHENS - ACROPOLIS

8th DAY 17-5-12

ACROPOLIS - ACROPOLIS MUSEUM - CENTRE OF ATHENS - ZAPPEIO -

PANATHENAIC STADIUM (HANDOVER OF THE OLYMPIC FLAME)

Hellenic Olympic Committee Unveils Olympic Flame Lighting Details, Greek Torch Relay

(ATR ( 26/03/2012) The HOC releases details of the Olympic Flame lighting at ancient Olympia and the eight-day Greek leg of the London 2012 torch relay, insisting the country's economic crisis has not impacted plans.

The HOC confirmed Monday that the Olympic torch will be lit mid-morning on May 10 by the High Priestess Ino Menegaki using the sun's rays at the Temple of Hera in Olympia as part of a traditional hour-long ceremony performed in the presence of IOC president Jacques Rogge.

The torch will then visit 43 towns and cities in its relay around the Greek mainland and Crete that runs through May 17. Around 500 torchbearers will be involved in the 2,900 kilometer-long relay, with 34 torch ceremonies planned along the route.

On the final day of its Greek trek, the Olympic Flame visits Acropolis in the center of Athens before being handed over to London 2012 organizers at the Panathenaic Stadium.

The torch is scheduled to arrive into Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall, England on May 18 on board British Airways flight ‘BA2012’. Its 70-day relay around the U.K begins in Land's End the following day.

HOC president Spyros Capralos said his country's torch relay plans had not been impacted by Greece's "extremely difficult economic conditions".

He claimed the HOC had achieved its goal of organizing the torch relay without any financial burden on the Greek government or taxpayers.

Capralos said the costs of the Olympic Flame trek through Greece had been born by local municipalities and individual donors.

"But more important for us is the particular symbolism of the torch relay and its messages. Messages, more timely than ever," he said.

"We believe that in times not only of economic crisis, but rather a crisis of human and social values, the ideals of Olympism and sport, peace, cooperation, fair play, participation, friendship, concord and harmonious coexistence of different cultures, are ideals that can give us hope again for a better future and more importantly the strength to fight for it," he added in an HOC statement.

"The Flame symbolizes all these ideas and ideals and that is why we wanted the Flame to go everywhere in Greece," Capralos continued. "Its birth and journey is a great opportunity to remember that it all started from here.

"The culture, the arts, democracy, respect for human existence, were the legacy of Hellenism to all humanity and still are the main reasons that the modern Greeks should feel proud and use this legacy as an answer to those who try to discredit the country."
Vasilis Dimitriadis was the first torchbearer in Greece for the 2010 Olympic torch relay. (Getty Images)

The HOC's ceremonies choreographer Artemis Ignatiou, the creative mind behind every Olympic lighting ceremony at Olympia since the Beijing 2008 Games, echoed the sentiments of Capralos.

"This year's lighting of the Flame will be very important for us Greeks at a time when our national pride has been hurt. At a time when Greece and the Greek people have a negative view, the lighting of the Flame is a positive promotion of Greece abroad."

She added: "We will be ready on May 10 to light the flame in a simple ceremony and pass [Olympic] values around the world. "

Reported by Mark Bisson