Youth Olympic Flame begins journey from Greece to Singapore
The Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame got under way today in Olympia, Greece, with the lighting of the flame at an official ceremony outside the famed Temple of Hera.
Using the sun’s rays and a parabolic mirror, a holy priestess lit the flame before entering the Ancient Olympic Stadium and passing the torch to the Journey’s first torchbearer, Apostolos Koutavas, who will represent Greece in trampoline at the Youth Olympic Games.
Watch the lighting of the flame
In the 22 days leading up to the first-ever Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, some 2,400 torchbearers will take the flame to all five continents in a journey designed to promote the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect among the youth of the world.
The Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame, under the initiation of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee, will arrive in Berlin on 24 July before moving on to Dakar (26 July), Mexico City (30 July), Auckland (1 August) and Seoul (4 August). A six-day torch relay beginning 5 August is planned for the final destination, Singapore, where the Youth Olympic Games will take place from 14 to 26 August.
