Olympic flame arrives in Russia

Torch relay for Sochi Winter Games kicks off today.


Afp October 06, 2013
Actress Ino Menegaki, playing a high priestess lights a torch from a cauldron on October 5, 2013,during the handover ceremony of the Olympic Flame for the XXII Winter Olympic Games Sochi 2014 at the Panathenaic stadium in Athens. PHOTO: AFP

MOSCOW: The Olympic flame arrived in Moscow yesterday ahead of next year’s Winter Games in Sochi.

The cherished symbol of world peace and international comradery was lit in Greece’s Ancient Olympia on September 29 and officially handed over to a Russian delegation in Athens. The torch was flown into Moscow’s Vnukovo-3 airport before being rushed in a white van to Red Square for a cauldron-lighting ceremony overseen by President Vladimir Putin.

“This day can justifiably be called historic,” First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak told an airport honour guard ceremony after descending from the plane with the flame encased in a capsule. “The path toward this day was not an easy one but we passed it with honour.”

The traditional torch relay will kick off today and conclude when the cauldron is lit at Sochi’s brand new Fisht Olympic Stadium at the Games’ opening ceremony on February 7.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7th, 2013.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ