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London Olympic Flame to be lit on May 10 at Olympia

The London Olympic Games Organizing Committee announced on Wednesday that the Olympic Flame for the event set to start on July 27 in the British capital will take place at Ancient Olympia on May 10, and will be followed by a week-long relay across Greece.

Organized by the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC), the Olympic Flame will be lit mid-morning on Thursday, May 10, using the sun’s rays at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, southwestern Greece, in a traditional hour-long ceremony held among the historic ruins of the home of the ancient Games.

From the lighting ceremony at Olympia, the HOC will take the Olympic Flame on an eight-day relay around Greece before arriving at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on May 17 for the official Olympic Flame Hand-over Ceremony. During an evening hour-long ceremony, the Olympic Flame will be handed over to a London 2012 representative.

The Organizing Committee also announced that the Greek leg of the Torch Relay will showcase the natural and historical attractions of the Greek mainland and islands to the world.

The second torchbearer on the first day and the penultimate torchbearer on the last day of the Greek leg will be chosen by London 2012. «Both torchbearers will be inspirational people from the UK and their names will be confirmed nearer the time,» the Games? organizers stated.

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