Liu Qi (front L), president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), also the Communist Party of China chief of Beijing, arrives in Athens of Greece on March 29, 2008. [Xinhua] |
Preparations for the Olympic Torch Handover Ceremony are completely in place, Minos Kyriakou, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) said on Saturday.
At the press briefing jointly organized by HOC and BOCOG, Kyriakou assured reporters that Greece is ready for Sunday, but he refused to provide details on the ceremony, saying that he'd like to keep it a surprise as it will be broadcast live around the world.
He reflected on the sacred flame's journey through big cities and remote villages in Greece, where it withstood tests of rain and snow. Through the hands of torchbearers, the flame sampled passages of Greek history and ignited passions for the Olympic Flame, bringing out the Olympic spirit while conveying a message of Olympic peace to the world.
On March 30, the sacred flame will leave from the ancient Acropolis in Athens to its last destination in Greece. BOCOG will be presented with the sacred flame at the torch handover ceremony, which will take place in Panathenaikon Stadium, the site of the first modern-day Olympic Games.