Youth Olympic Torch Lit in Athens
In Athens today, the Olympic Flame was lit for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, that will take place this August in Nanjing, China.
The lighting occurred in a backdrop of terrific Athenian weather and included hundreds of participants at the Panathenaic Stadium. The Olympic torch was lit by High Priestess Katerina Lechou, who offered it to 17-year-old Greek fencing champion Marios Yiakoumatos. After, the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Kapralos passed it on to his Chinese colleague, Liu Peng, who will carry it to the Youth Olympic's organizing committee.
The ceremony was observed by Greek President Karolos Papoulias and Honorary President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge. Rogge established the idea of the Youth Olympics, during his 2001 to 2013 IOC presidency and reigned over the first games.
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