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Paralympics flame lit
09/09/2004 19:39 - (SA)
Athens - The Athens Paralympics torch relay kicked off here on Thursday with the lighting ceremony of the Games' flame in the ancient temple of Hephaestus - in Greek mythology the crippled god of fire and metallurgy.
A piece of metal was hammered on an anvil to create the spark that ignited the torch inside the 449 BC temple, built at the foot of the Athens Acropolis.
"The lighting of the flame in Hephaestus' fireside is a perfect start for the Athens Paralympics," said Phil Craven, president of the International Paralympics Committee (IPC), present at the ceremony.
The temple of Hephaestus is Greece's best conserved pre-Christian place of worship.
Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos, the country's Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and chief Olympics organiser Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki were present at the ceremony.
The first torch relay runner was Greek Costas Fykas, gold medal winner in the 50 and 100m freestyle swimming of the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.
Another 704 runners will carry the flame across Athens over a total distance of 410km until the September 17 opening ceremony in the Athens Olympic stadium.
Around 4 000 athletes and 2 000 officials from 145 countries will participate in the September 17-28 Paralympics.
The first Paralympics torch relay took place in Seoul in 1988.
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Rugby
