Olympic torch relay is delivered by Paris organizers to the Greek stadium of the first modern Games.

The ancient games were held at Olympia in southern Greece for over a millennium, from around 776 B.C. to 393 A.D., and the flame was lit there on April 16.

TFD – Delve into the fascinating journey of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games torch relay, carrying the spirit of ancient games to modern times.

Greece’s Athens Friday saw the official handing over of the Paris Olympic flame to French organizers in the all-marble stadium that hosted the first modern Games in Athens in 1896.

Greek water polo player Ioannis Fountoulis, the last in a long line of torchbearers, used the flame to light a cauldron at the Panathenaic Stadium. Tony Estanguet, the head of Paris 2024, received it from there.

A few tense minutes ensued as helpers labored to light the lantern that will transport the flame to France.

“It wishes to remain in Greece,” laughed Estanguet.

The flame, safely enclosed in the lantern, will set sail for France on a 19th-century sailing ship this Saturday and arrive at Marseille, a port city in the south, 12 days later.

The ancient games were held at Olympia in southern Greece for over a millennium, from around 776 B.C. to 393 A.D., and the flame was lit there on April 16.

A relay of torchbearers carried it from the ancient stadium of Olympia 3,100 miles (3,500 kilometers) through Greece, stopping for the night atop the ancient Acropolis and traversing other islands.

The Olympic torch will spend the night in the French Embassy before departing the port of Piraeus in Athens on Saturday aboard the Belgian sailing vessel Belem, which was constructed in the year of the city’s inaugural modern games.

On May 8, the Belem is scheduled to arrive in Marseille, ahead of a relay across France that culminates in the Paris opening ceremony.

The dates of the Games are July 26–August 11.