A ceremony to light the Olympic Flame for the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games was held at the Panathenaic Stadium in central Athens on Wednesday, President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias attending, accompanied by honorary International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogg.

During the ceremony, actress Katerina Lehou, in the role of high priestess, lit the flame from the sun’s rays to start the torch relay that will end up at Nanjing, eastern China, for the Games (running August 16-28). The relay was kicked off at the stadium by two Chinese and two Greek athletes. Rogge and Hellenic Olympic Committee president Spyros Kapralos addressed the event briefly, before the torch was handed to Chinese Olympic Committee Chairman Liu Peng and Vice President and Vice President and Secretary General of the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee (NYOGOC) and Mayor of Nanjing, Miao Ruilin.

More than 3,500 athletes aged 15-18 will be taking part in the Youth Games, competing in 28 events that include the newly introduced 3×3 basketball. So far, seven Greek youths have qualified.

It is the third time the flame has been lit for a Youth Olympic Games, following the Summer Singapore Games in 2010 and the Youth Winter Games in Innsbruck in 2012. The Games were inspired by Rogge to inspire athletes aged 15 to 18 years of age to embrace Olympic ideals, including friendship and respect of other cultures.

Source: AMNA