IOC President Evangelist for Olympics, Tokyo 2020

(ATR) IOC President Thomas Bach returns to Greece this week, the holy land of the Olympic Movement, as the evangelist in chief for the Games.

Invoking the spirit of modern Olympic founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin, Bach spoke at the March 29 ceremony for newly installed lighting in the stadium built for the 1896 Olympics.

"Greece gave birth to the Olympic Games twice, once in Ancient Olympia and once here, at the Panathenaic Stadium in 1896. Greeks gave to humanity the gift of the Olympic Games and also the gift of Democracy. With the new lighting of the Panathenaic Stadium, this heritage will become even more brilliant and will enlighten the entire world," Bach said Monday evening.

The dedication of the new stadium lighting was handled under coronavirus countermeasures. No spectators were permitted and the number of dignitaries was limited, though notable. The group included the President of the Hellenic Republic, the Mayor of Athens and government ministers.

IOC member and Hellenic Olympic Committee president Spyros Capralos had hopes to have the full IOC at the ceremony for the lights. But plans to hold an IOC session this month in Athens fell apart due to the pandemic, the same fate suffered last June with plans for a session in Greece. The now twice postponed session is set for 2025.

Speaking Monday night, Capralos, who led the push to refurbish the lighting, says the landmark and Athens will benefit from the high-tech changes.

"Therenewed lighting that was inaugurated just a few moments ago, offering even more light to our historical monument and to the heart of Athens.

"I would like to thank all my colleagues at the Hellenic Olympic Committee for the decision to revive the lighting of the Kallimarmaro Stadium, and all those who contributed to the implementation of this idea that fills us with pride. Not only because this historic monument is emerging again, but also because, in that way, we contribute to a sustainable environment by reducingboth energy consumption and light pollution," said Capralos.

Bach saluted the symbolic as well as practical impact of maintaining the 1896 arena.

"Starting from today, the Panathenaic Stadium will not only stand as a symbol for the Olympic history but also as a commitment, for a better future, with sustainable expansion, with more peace and with greater solidarity in Sports. Let the Stadium shine in the new spirit of Olympism," said the IOC President.

The celebration of the lighting upgrade was part of one of the IOC president’s few state level visits outside of Switzerland since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago. In this time Bach has met with French president Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Tuesday in Athens he huddled with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

"We met last time at the very beginning of the pandemic, and now we are hopefully meeting towards the end of the pandemic. We see, or start to see, the light at the end of the tunnel, in particular with the Games in Tokyo," declared Bach, ever the Olympic evangelist, during the meeting with Mitsotakis.

Reported by Ed Hula.