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Olympic torch is lit in Greece despite coronavirus worries

Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou, playing the role of High Priestess, passes the flame to the first torchbearer.
Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou, playing the role of High Priestess, passes the flame to the first torchbearer, during the opening ceremony of the Olympic flame torch relay Thursday for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games.
(Milos Bicanski / Getty Images)
By David Wharton
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In an unusually quiet ceremony shadowed by the coronavirus outbreak, the International Olympic Committee lit the torch for the upcoming 2020 Summer Games on Thursday, noting that “the world is facing challenges that are also impacting sport.”

The traditional ceremony took place before the Temple of Hera ruins in ancient Olympia, where an actress playing the role of a pagan priestess used a concave mirror to focus the sun’s rays on a torch.

Unlike past years, spectators were not allowed and only a select number of officials attended.

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Still, Olympic leaders used the opportunity to reiterate their confidence in staging the Tokyo Games despite widespread cancellations throughout much of sport.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - APRIL 05: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) LG Twins team players play their intra-team game to be broadcasted online for their fans at a empty Jamshil baseball stadium as South Koreans take measures to protect themselves against the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) on April 05, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea has called for expanded public participation in social distancing, as the country witnesses a wave of community spread and imported infections leading to a resurgence in new cases of COVID-19. According to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday, 81 new cases were reported. The total number of infections in the nation tallies at 10,237. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

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“We remain absolutely in line with our Japanese hosts in our commitment to delivering safe Olympic Games in July this year,” the IOC said in a statement.

The flame will now become part of week-long festivities in Greece. It will be handed over to Tokyo organizers next week and be transported to Japan. The torch relay will begin March 26, covering all 47 of the nation’s prefectures over the course of 121 days.

IOC officials said they continue to consult with the World Health Organization. The opening ceremony for the 2020 Tokyo Games is scheduled for July 24.

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David Wharton

David Wharton has filled an array of roles – covering the courts, entertainment, sports and the second Persian Gulf War – since starting as a Los Angeles Times intern in 1982. His work has been honored by organizations such as the Society for Features Journalism and Associated Press Sports Editors and has been anthologized in “Best American Sports Writing.” He has also been nominated for an Emmy and has written two books, including “Conquest,” an inside look at USC football during the Pete Carroll era.

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