Olympic torch

Council of Europe, Strasbourg (26 June 2024)

Speech by Theodoros Rousopoulos

President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

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Madam Secretary General of the Council of Europe,

Madam Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,

Madam the Mayor of Strasbourg,

Madam President of the Strasbourg Eurometropole,

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,

·         We will now witness a historic moment: the arrival of the Olympic Flame in our hemicycle for the first time in the history of the Council of Europe.

·         Let us travel back in time at the heart of antiquity in 776 Before Christ in Ancient Olympia, when the first Olympic Games were held. A celebration of sportsmanship, unity, and peace.

·         These games were part of a religious festival honoring Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. They were held every four years, a period known as an Olympiad.

·         Ancient Olympic games laid the foundation for what would, millennia later, become the Modern Olympic Games, revived in 1896 in Athens, by the French Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

·         The Olympic flame, has its origins in ancient Greece as well. A sacred fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics, reminding us of the fact that Prometheus took the fire from the gods as an act of liberation.

·         Today, I am honored to speak about and welcome a tradition that has its roots in the very heart of my homeland, Greece.

·         Every 4 years the Olympic Flame Lighting ceremony is held before each Olympiad at the site of Ancient Olympia, symbolizing the commencement of the Olympic Games.

·         On the 16th of April, 2024, this ceremony was held at the historic site of Ancient Olympia and the flame was lit by the high priestess.

·         Following this momentous event, on the 26th of April, the Olympic torch was ceremoniously handed over from Greece to France, marking the beginning of its journey to Marseilles.

·         It was at this stadium, where the dreams of Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games, were first realized in 1896.

·         Like the Olympic messengers of ancient times who proclaimed the ekecheiria, or 'sacred truce', the relay runners who pass on the Olympic flame bring a message of peace with them along their path.

·         Thus, this journey to France is a testament to the enduring spirit of the Olympics, as the flame travels a remarkable 12,500 kilometers, carried by 11,600 torchbearers, embodying the unity and friendship among nations that the games inspire.

·         On 26 July, the flame will reach its final destination in Paris, again after one hundred years.

·         Where it will light up the opening ceremony of the 33rd Olympic Games.

·         In the 2024 Paris Olympic Games:

We will have the chance to enjoy 32 Olympic sports and then, later in September, 22 Paralympic sports in the Paralympic Games.

·         15.000 athletes will participate from 206 National Olympic Committees and the International Olympic Committee Refugee Olympic team, which represents more than 100 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Made up of 36 athletes from 11 different countries.

·         Throughout the games, the flame will burn day and night in a special altar inside the Olympic Stadium of the host city.

·         The flame, therefore, is more than a symbol; it is a representation of human ingenuity and resilience.

·         Pierre de Coubertin, in his vision for the modern Olympic Games, saw the flame as a vital link between the ancient and modern games, a torch passed down through generations, lighting the way for human progress and unity.

·         As we stand on the brink of the 33rd Olympic Games, we extend our best wishes to France.

·         May these games be a celebration of peace, unity, and the enduring human spirit.

·         If I may quote the famous phrase of Baron de Coubertin: Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger).

·         I would like now to ask you, dear colleagues, to join me in standing to welcome the Olympic Flame to our hemicycle.

·       We welcome the Olympic Flame of peace into the cradle of human rights. We send our best wishes to the International Olympic Committee and to France for the organisation of the Games of the thirty third Olympiad.

·       Félicitations et meilleurs voeux à la France !

Bonne route vers Paris !