'Paris Time' begins as first Olympic torch lit for 2024 Olympic Games

The first torch for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris was lit in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, at noon on Tuesday.

Greek actress Mary Mina played the role of an ancient high priestess and kindled the torch in the hands of competitive rower and Olympic gold medalist Stefanos Ntouskos.

Traditionally, the Olympic flame would have been lit by the sun's rays via a concave mirror, but it didn't happen on Tuesday because of the weather. Instead, Mina used the backup kindling to light the flame.

The Olympic flame in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, April 16, 2024. /CFP

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, and Paris 2024 Organising Committee President Tony Estanguet attended the ceremony.

The torch will be passed around Greece in the next 11 days before it is handed over to the delegation of the organizing committee for the Paris Olympics. It will depart Greece by ship for France on April 27.

This year's Olympic Games, the 33rd edition of the tournament, will be the third time the Olympics are held in Paris, following the memorable editions of 1900 and 1924. From July 26 to August 11, 10,500 athletes will compete in 329 events across 32 sports. Breakdancing will make its debut as an Olympic sport in Paris.

Competitive rower and Greek Olympic gold medalist Stefanos Ntouskos carries the Olympic torch in his right hand and the olive branch, symbolizing peace, in his left at the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, April 16, 2024. /CFP

If everything goes according to plan, Paris 2024 will also be the first Olympic Games to hold the opening ceremony outside the main stadium. The organizing committee wanted to hold it on the River Seine and have the parade of athletes take place in boats on the river.

Although the organizing committee and Paris officials have repeatedly said that there is no plan to relocate the opening ceremony, the French president said on Monday that alternative plans have been prepared if there are excessive security risks.