The Olympic Torch Lit in Greece to Mark the Beginning of the Sochi Winter Games [VIDEO]
The iconic flame of the Olympics was lit in Greece on Sunday, Sept 29, 2013.
The lighting of the torch marks the foundation of the Sochi Winter Games, and the torch relay will travel across nine time zones in Russia. The sunbeams were reflected on a mirror to light up the Olympic torch. The process took place without any interruption or glitch. The torch will be a prominent part of the Olympic Games to be held in February.
Greek actresses were dressed as historical priestesses as the parabolic mirror lit the fire in the hometown of the most prestigious sports tournament in the world. Ino Menegaki played the role of high priestess. She called out to Apollo, the ancient sun god, before the process of lighting the torch started. Then, it was passed to Ioannis Antoniou, the 18-year-old alpine skier from Greece.
Alex Ovechkin, the Russian NHL star, also took part in the torch lighting ceremony. He is the first from Russia to be a part of the torch relay. Alex was apparently quite thrilled to be given the honour to kick off the torch relay. He said that he would remember that feat for the rest of his life. He would probably be "smiling all the time," he said.
Alex, 28, is a winger who plays for the Washington Capitals. The excited Alex said that he would be talking about the event to his children and his grandchildren. He considered the opportunity to bear the Olympic torch as one of the greatest moments of his life.
On the other hand, Alex preferred not to say anything about the anti-gay bill which was recently passed by the government. Instead of talking about anything related to gay rights, he said that he would rather concentrate on the competition itself. He said that he was not a politician, but a hockey player. The politicians should be asked about their opinion, he said.
Meanwhile, Alex was termed as the "obvious choice" for the responsibility, as he had been a proud ambassador of the game, who had reached beyond borders. His charisma and popularity are considered to be the reasons behind choosing him to be given the responsibility.
(Video courtesy: YouTube/World News)
