Dress Rehearsal for Olympic Torch Lighting Shines

(ATR) The back-up flame is lit at Ancient Olympia one day before the launch of the Rio 2016 Torch Relay.

A dress rehearsal went off without a hitch as Greek actress Katerina Lehou, in her role as high priestess, kindled the flame almost instantaneously from the sun’s rays reflecting off the concave mirror at the Temple of Hera.

The weather is expected to be equally sunny on Thursday. In 2006, overcast skies forced organizers to use the back-up flame for the start of the Turin Torch Relay.

The noontime event Wednesday was open to the public and about 2,000 people showed up, nearly overrunning the archeological site as they surged through an arch to the ancient stadium for the second half of the ceremony.

It was hot and dusty as the priestesses performed the ritual that began 80 years ago with the Berlin 1936 torch relay.They wore new dresses that appeared light turquoise when they stood still, but whose pleats opened to reveal olive green, light blue or a geometric design as they moved.

The dress rehearsal was shorter than the official ceremony Thursday, which will feature the Olympic, Greek and Brazilian anthems, a poem recitation and speeches by IOC President Thomas Bach, the mayor of Ancient Olympia, Efthymios Kotzas, Carlos Nuzman, president of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, and Spyros Capralos,president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee. Although Dilma Rousseff, the president of Brazil, had originally hoped to attend, she changed her plans in the lead-up to the impeachment vote by the lower house of parliament.

After Lehou led the other priestesses into the Temple of Hera, she delivered a prayer to Apollo, the sun god, to light the special silver-colored torch used in the ceremony. Once the flame was lit, Lehou transferred it to a bowl in another graceful swoop.

That signaled the end of the first half of the ceremony and a mad rush by press and spectators for the stadium. Many people stopped to take photographs and selfies with the male dancers dressed in olive green who posed motionless along the route. Two dancers were frozen in fighting mode.

Inside the ancient stadium, the spectators sat on a hillside. The priestesses and male dancers performed a choreographed dance on a hill to flute and lyre sounds. Then Lehou crested the top of the hill with the urn holding the flame and sedately walked down to the bottom.

However, she was not met by Lefteris Petrounias, the world champion in gymnastics who will be the first torchbearer. Because he was traveling from the test event in Rio, his role was carried out by a staff member of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, who held the Rio torch aloft to conclude the dress rehearsal. The staff member was immediately inundated by photographers and tourists, including a very enthusiastic Asian group who were determined to take their photo with the flame.

The pristine white Rio torch, which opens to reveal colors of green, blue, gold and aqua, quickly darkened around the flame.

The colors represent not only the Brazilian flag, but ground, sea, mountains, sky and sun. The sun certainly came through with flying colors on Wednesday.

Written and reported by Karen Rosenin Ancient Olympia.

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