The Olympic torch relay got under way on Thursday, despite the lighting ceremony being held behind closed doors at the site of the ancient Games in Olympia, Greece.

The Olympic committee decided on Monday it would not allow spectators to attend the ceremony for the first time since 1984, amid COVID-19 fears.

Actress Xanthi Georgiou used a parabolic mirror to ignite the torch with the Sun's rays before handing it to Greek Olympic shooting champion, Anna Korakaki, who is the first female ever to kick off the Olympic torch relay. She then handed it to Japanese 2004 Olympic marathon champion, Mizuki Noguchi.

The route

The torch will travel through Greece for seven days – starting in Olympia and ending in Athens on 19 Feb. It will then be handed to the organizers of the Tokyo Games, who will take it back to Japan.

The torch is scheduled to be taken through most of Japan's major cities on its 141-day journey through the country, starting in the Fukushima prefecture on 26 March.

The relay will end in the capital's National Stadium on the 24 July, the same day as the opening ceremony.

Tokyo 2020 cancellation 'not an option'

There have been fears the the Tokyo games will be canceled on health and safety grounds.

The IAAF met in Monaco on Thursday to discuss its stance on the upcoming Games as well as talking about the effects of the spread of the coronavirus, with several members including those from outbreak hotspots China and Italy. 

However, the Tokyo Games organizers are adamant the event will go ahead as planned, with Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike saying: "Cancellation is not an option."

The Games have only ever been canceled due to the two World Wars, but the fate of the 2020 Olympics rests on an international coordinated effort to defeat COVID-19.