| OLYMPICS / ATHENS 2004 Follow the Olympic flame on its global journey, which will last 36 days and will pass through 34 cities, uniting all five continents for the first time. March 25, 2004, marked the beginning of a great journey which transmitted the message of peace and comradeship between the peoples, to the ends of the earth. In 490 BC, the Greeks were facing invasion by Darius the Great, King of Persia, whose warships landed in the bay of Marathon. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Greeks surrounded the enemy troops and drove them back to the sea, losing only 192 men during the fighting, while 6,400 Persians perished. News of the victory was taken back to Athens, a distance of 42 km (26 miles), by a runner in full armor, who collapsed and died immediately afterwards. The modern marathon has its roots in this heroic effort. In the Olympics of Athens 2004, the athletes will run the same course as in 490 BC. Lighting Ceremony of the Olympic Flame in Ancient Olympia - 25 March 2004    
The Lighting of the Olympic Flame takes place inside the Sanctuary of Olympia in the Temple of Hera. The fire is lighted from the sun's rays focused on a parabolic mirror. The High Priestess (Actress Thaleia Prokopiou) hands the flame to the first torchbearer (Greek Javelin Olympic champion Kostas Gatsioudis). In ancient Greece, fire symbolized the creation of the world, as well as renewal and light. Relay Across Greece - March 26 through March 30, 2004     
March 26 - Megalopoli / March 27 - Petalidi / March 28 - Taigetos / March 29 - Tripolis, Peloponnese / March 30 - Theater of Ancient Epidavros Lighting Ceremony at Panathinaiko Stadium, Greece - March 31, 2004    
Actress Thaleia Prokopiou at the altar of the Olympic Flame / Greek Olympic Champion Katerina Thanou enters the Panathinaiko Stadium carrying the Olympic Torch / ATHENS 2004 President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki / Lighting of the cauldron The International Relay Begins - June 2, 2004 - Olympic Flame Sendoff   
ATHENS 2004 Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Marton Simitsek / Zeus - the airplane which carries the Olympic Flame in its journey to the five continents, and the only airplane in the world with permission to carry an open flame International Relay - 36 Days, 34 Cities, 5 Continents - June 4 through August 13, 2004     
June 4 - Sydney, Austrailia / June 5 - Melbourne, Australia / June 6 - Japan / June 7 - Seoul / June 9 - Great Wall of China, China     
June 10 - Delhi / June 11 - Cairo, Egypt / June 12 - South Africa - Mandela / June 13 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Pele / June 14 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil     
June 15 - Mexico City, Mexico / June 16 - Los Angeles, CA, USA / June 17 - St. Louis, MO, USA / June 18 - Atlanta, GA, USA / June 19 - New York, USA     
June 20 - Montreal, Canada / June 21 - Antwerp, Belgium / June 22 - Brussels, Belgium / June 23 - Amsterdam, Netherlands / June 24 - Geneva, Switzerland     
June 25 - Paris, France / June 26 - London, England / June 27 - Barcelona, Spain / June 28 - Rome, Italy / June 29 - Munich, Germany     
June 30 - Berlin, Germany / July 01 - Stockholm, Sweden / July 02 - Helsinki, Finland / July 03 - Moscow, Russia / July 05 - Kiev, Ukraine   
July 06 - Istanbul, Turkey / July 07 - Sofia, Bulgaria / July 08 - Nicosia, Cyprus Follow the journey | | Greece  Cafe Wishes to thank the Athens 2004 Committee and all the talented photographers and journalists who captured the pride and spirit of the Games for information and images posted and linked to this site 
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