Olympics

The Olympic torch began its land and sea journey from Athens to Barcelona, starting from the stadium in which the modern Games were first held in 1896.

Hellenic Olympic Committee President Lambis Nikolaou handed the torch to Barcelona Mayor Pasqual Maragall, who is also president of his city’s Olympic Organizing Committee, during a ceremony at Panathinaic Stadium.

Nikolaou used the occasion to proclaim that his country was still bitter at losing its bid to stage the next Games.

At one stage, Greece had been the favorite to be the site of the 1996 Olympics, the 100th anniversary of the modern Games, but lost out to Atlanta.

“I consider it my duty to publicly express this great bitterness felt by the Greeks, who are remembered every four years only because of the Olympic flame,” Nikolaou said.