Using the sun’s rays at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics, organizers carried out a successful rehearsal Saturday to light the flame for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Under clear skies, actresses dressed as ancient priestesses took part in the rehearsal Saturday at Ancient Olympia in southern Greece — lighting the torch using a parabolic mirror.
Barring a small glitch – it took two efforts for the torch to ignite – the rehearsal wrapped up smoothly and the flame will be used as a back-up if overcast skies loom over Sunday’s official ceremony.
The flame will begin a seven-day journey across Greece’s mainly mountainous northern regions before it arrives in Moscow on October 6 for the longest relay in the history of the Winter Games, through the hands of 14,000 torchbearers.
The Russian leg of the torch relay is set to cover 65,000 kilometers (40,390 miles) before the Feb. 7-23 Winter Games.
“We can’t wait to start tomorrow. It will be a very exciting moment for us,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko, chief organizer of Sochi 2014.
“The Olympic flame is about to begin an epic journey … traveling all nine time zones of Russia in 123 days. It will be carried by 14,000 proud torchbearers,” he added.
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