Saturday 19 May 2012

Olympic flame ceremony at the Panathinaiko Stadium 2012

Yesterday the Olympic flame was handed over to tne United Kingdom at a rainy ceremony in Athens.

The flame was lit last week at Olympia, where the ancient Olympic games were held every four years, dating back to 776 B.C.
The Olympic torch has been making its way around Greece in a relay and arrived to the Panathinaiko Stadium ("Kallimarmaro") yesterday beneath a rainbow!

At the beautiful historic Greek Stadium (where the first modern Olympic games were held 1896) the flame was handed over to Princess Royal Anne, President of the British Olympic Association, by Spyros Cabralos, President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.

Princess Anne is a very good equestrian and was actually participating in the Olympic games herself 1976 in Montreal.



The Chinese gymnast Li Ning and the Greek weightlifter Pyrros Dimas , both Olympic Champions, lit the cauldron together as the last torchbearers before the flame was handed over to the U.K.


David Beckham was also participating in the ceremony. He made some Greek kids happy visiting a school afterwards:


The Olympic flame is now in the United Kingdom where it will make a relay of 70 days and then end its journey at London's Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics July 27th.




Earlier posts might of interest:
Our visit at Panathinaiko Stadium downtown Athens with lots of photos!
Special Olympics in Athens, Greece 2011
Victoria and David Beckham at Costa Navarino, Greece
Dimitris Chondrokoukis took Gold in High Jump (took part in the ceremony of the flame at Acropolis, his hand at the 2nd photo!)

Related links:
2012 Summer Olympics torch relay (route in U.K and dates)
Pyrros Dimas, official website
David Beckham, official website  
David Beckham's channel at YouTube

Pics found at:
David Beckham, Yahoo Sports 
Princess Anne, India Times

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