Korakaki kicks off Olympic torch relay

The 2020 Olympic torch relay began on Thursday after the traditional ceremony was performed in Olympia, Greece, with Olympic gold medalist Anna Korakaki becoming the first woman to ever launch an Olympic torch relay.

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As the ceremony was closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, only special invited guests were able to attend. This was the first time since 1984 that the ceremony was held without spectators. Despite that, organizers are hoping that this year’s Tokyo Olympics will still take place as scheduled. It must be noted that some parts of the ceremony were eliminated due to coronavirus, including parts involving children.

After the torch was ignited by actress Xanthi Georgiou, it was then handed to Korakaki. Korakaki, an Olympic gold and bronze medalist in shooting for Greece, had the privilege of being the first woman to ever be the initial torchbearer of the Olympic flame. She was then joined by Mizuki Noguchi, a Japanese marathon runner who won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Korakaki lit Noguchi’s torch, and the torch will now visit 37 cities and towns across Greece over the next week.

After that, the torch will be handed over to the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee at a special ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. This year’s Olympics are set to take place from July 24 to August 9.

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