Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony - Ancient Olympia

The ceremonial lighting of the Olympic flame is scheduled for April 16th at 11:30 am, set amidst the ancient grounds of Olympia. Approximately 500 torchbearers will embark on a 2,000-kilometer journey across Greece, culminating at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on April 26th, the historic site of the inaugural modern Olympics in 1896.

Leading the relay from Olympia to Paris for the upcoming Games will be Greek Olympic rowing champion Stefanos Ntouskos. Concluding the journey will be members of the Greek men’s water polo team, who clinched silver in Tokyo.

Departing from Piraeus, the flame will travel to Marseilles aboard the esteemed three-masted sail training ship Belem, a revered historical monument. It is expected to arrive in France on May 8th, over two months before the commencement of the Paris Games on July 26th, where it will illuminate the Olympic flame.

The tradition of the Olympic torch relay traces back to 1936 when 3,000 bearers relayed it from Olympia to Berlin.

Note: The ceremony is scheduled to commence at 11:30 am, contingent upon the position of the sun. However, we recommend arriving at Ancient Olympia by 9:30 am to allow ample time for navigating through the crowds and securing a spot within the venue. Ancient Olympia is situated approximately 3,5 hours away by car from central Athens.