Tokyo 2020 Olympic Flame to be lit in March

The Olympic Flame for the Tokyo 2020 Games will be lit on March 12 at Ancient Olympia, the organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympics announced on Monday.

The special event, prior to all Summer and Winter Olympics, will once again take place at the Temple of Hera at Ancient Olympia, with a modern High Priestess igniting the Olympic flame in the traditional way by using the rays of the sun and a parabolic mirror.

After the end of the Olympic Flame Lighting ceremony, the first torchbearer will set off for the eight-day Greek leg of the Olympic Torch Relay across the country.

The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee added on Monday that torchbearers in Greece will include Japanese marathon runner Mizuki Noguchi, judoka Tadahiro Nomura and wrestler Saori Yoshida.

Then on March 19 Athens will host the Olympic Flame Handover Ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium, with the Games’ organizers taking to Flame to Japan for the Olympic Torch Relay to continue.

All events in Greece are organized by the Hellenic Olympic Committee.