The Olympic Flame has traveled from Archaia Olympia to every corner of Greece bearing a message of peace. This year for the first time, on the last day before the Handover Ceremony that is traditionally held at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, the Flame made a stop at the SNFCC, highlighting the cultural center’s role as a modern Athenian landmark.
Four Torchbearers ran around the SNFCC Canal, while the Hellenic Navy Band, under the baton of Bandmaster Lieutenant Commander Antonis Karagoudakis, played the Olympic Anthem and the national anthems of France and Greece, accompanied by the raising of the respective flags. The ceremony continued with greetings from SNFCC Managing Director Elly Andriopoulou, Representative of the Embassy of France Christian Fatras, and President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, President of the European Olympic Committees, and Member of the International Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos. The event concluded with a singular dance performance by the Greek National Opera Ballet, accompanied by the Fountains in the Canal, in a choreography by Konstantinos Rigos to the music of “Epirus Dance” by Nikos Skalkottas.
