LONDON 2012: OLYMPIC GAMES FLAME WAS LIT IN GREECE

The 2012 London Olympics Games flame was lit at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics on Thursday afternoon.

A triangular torch shape was designed to highlight that London is hosting the Olympics for the third time as London also hosted in 1908 and 1948. Spyros Gianniotis, a Greek swimmer and Olympic silver medalist, was the first of 490 torchbearers to carry the flame on Thursday.  From this Lighting Ceremony in Olympia, the HOC will take the Olympic Flame on an 8-day relay around Greece, showcasing the beauty and history of the Greek mainland and islands, travelling to the island of Crete before going to Piraeus, Thessalonica, Xanthi and Larissa among many other communities before arriving at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on the evening of Thursday 17 May 2012 for the Olympic Flame Handover Ceremony that is expected to start at 19:00 local time (17:00 BST)

The Olympic Flame will then travel to the UK from Athens on Friday 18 May, landing in the evening at RNAS Culdrose, ahead of the start of the Olympic Torch Relay on Saturday 19 May 2012.

The Olympic Torch Relay will take the Olympic Flame on a70-day across the UK.  8,000 Torchbearers will carry the Olympic Flame for approximately 300 metres each, passing the Olympic Flame from Torch to Torch until it reaches the Olympic Stadium on the evening of 27 July 2012.