The Olympic flame will be lit tomorrow in Olympia, Greece during a ceremony that harks back to the traditions of Ancient Greece. The flame will spend the night at the French Embassy in Athens, before boarding the Belem (a famous three-masted ship first launched in 1896) the following day to head to Marseille, France.
The Olympic flame is lit in front of the ruins of the temple of Hera by an actress playing the part of the priestess, who uses a parabola (known to the ancient Greeks as Skaphia) to concentrate the sun's rays and light the Torch. The torchbearer then carries the flame to the Coubertin Grove, on the site of the International Olympic Academy, where it is used to light an altar next to the monument where the heart of Pierre de coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement, is buried. The very idea of the Olympic flame comes from the ceremonies of the ancient Games, which took place in Olympia,. in the very place where the Paris 2024 Olympic Flame Lighting ceremony will take place.