北京奥运会圣火在奥林匹亚点燃

Beijing Olympic Flame Lit in Ancient Olympia

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The Beijing Olympic flame was ignited in a traditional sun-ray ceremony at 11:45 on Monday in front of the Hera Temple of ancient Olympia.

Dark clouds over the lighting rehearsal parted as a flawless torch lighting ceremony was held to start an unprecedented torch relay in Greece, across five continents and China.

The High Priestess Maria Nafpliotou lit the flame out of a concave mirror. Then the flame was carried in a replica of ancient urn to the ancient Olympia stadium where it was to kindle the first Olympic torch.

High Priestess Maria Nafpliotou handed over the torch to the first torchbearer Alexandros Nikolaidis, 2004 Olympic silver medalist in taekwondo.

The Olympic Anthem, the National Anthem of the People's Republic of China, the National Anthem of Greece were played and the Olympic Flag, the Chinese Flag and the Greek Flag were hoisted at the lighting ceremony.

Other prominent torch runners on the first day included 2004 Olympic champion Luo Xuejuan in 100 meters backstroke and Deng Yaping, double table tennis Olympic champion in 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Luo will be the first Chinese to hold the Beijing Olympic flame after taking it from Nikolaidis.

The Olympic flame will be handed over to BOCOG at 3 p.m. on March 30 at the Panathenian Stadium in Athens.

In Greece, the sacred flame will pass through 16 prefectures, 43 municipalities, 12 municipal districts and four communities in the hands of 605 torchbearers. En route, a total of 29 ceremonies will be held to greet the flame.

The torch will be carried over the islands for six days, staying overnight in Mesologi, Ioannina, Vera, Thessaloniki, and Lamia, before it reaches Athens.

The Olympic flame is to arrive in Beijing on March 31. A welcome ceremony will be held at Tian'anmen Square, the heart of the Olympic host city.

相关链接：
国际在线消息（记者饶彬彬　段秀杰　李宁静）：3月24日，北京2008年奥运会圣火在希腊奥林匹亚点燃，拉开了北京奥运会火炬传递活动的序幕。

希腊当地时间24日上午11时40分左右（北京时间24日17时40分左右），圣火采集仪式开始在奥林匹亚的赫拉神庙遗址前举行。圣火采集按照传统方式进行：让太阳光照射在一只凹面镜上，引燃了由希腊著名演员玛利亚·娜芙普利扮演的最高女祭司手持的火种棒；在一系列造型表演后，最高女祭司将火种传给了手持北京奥运会“祥云”火炬的第一火炬手、希腊著名运动员亚历山大·尼克拉泽斯，正式开启了北京奥运会火炬传递活动。

希腊总统卡罗洛斯·帕普利亚斯、国际奥委会主席雅克·罗格、北京奥组委主席刘淇以及奥林匹亚市市长乔治·艾东尼斯出席了当天的圣火采集仪式。刘淇在圣火成功采集前致词说：“我们感谢希腊人民和政府给予北京奥运会的支持和帮助。我们将在奥林匹克圣火的引领下，在中国、希腊和世界各国人民的共同努力下，举办一届有特色、高水平的北京奥运会。我们祝愿奥林匹克圣火与太阳的光辉同在，永远照亮人类追求和平、友谊、进步的航程。”

采集仪式后，北京奥运会圣火随即在希腊境内展开传递，并将于3月30日到达希腊首都雅典。在那里，将举行奥运圣火交接仪式，正式把圣火移交给北京奥组委。

奥运圣火定于3月31日抵达北京，届时北京将举行迎接圣火及火炬境外传递启动仪式。圣火传递将持续一百多天，传递总里程达13.7万公里。经过2万多名火炬手的传递，圣火定于8月8日晚到达北京奥运会开幕式现场，点燃奥运会主火炬。据悉，这次传递将是奥运会历史上路线最长、范围最广、参与人数最多的一次火炬传递。