Thousands gather for Olympic torch ceremony in Athens

As the 100-day countdown to the Paris Olympics began, thousands gathered at the site of Ancient Olympia for the lighting of the Olympic flame.

After calling upon Apollo, the God of the Sun and an Olympian deity, an actress playing the role of the high priestess lit the torch from the sun's rays. The ceremony copied the beginning of the first ever Olympic Games 2,500 years ago. 

The games started as a religious event during which athletes from all over the world competed to honor Zeus, king of the Ancient gods. Back then the athletes trekked to the temple of Zeus in Olympia to compete in just one sport.

"The first Olympics started with just one event running for about 100 meters, let's say, and that continued for quite a few years," archeologist and historian Theodoros Papakostas told CGTN. "Then you (they) started adding various other sports, and they ended up having many sports like disc throwing, javelin, and running with full armor," he added.

While only men were allowed to compete, there was also a smaller event for women. The games were dedicated to Hera, the wife of Zeus and queen of the gods, and took place every four years.

All that ended in 394 AD, only to be revived again in 1896.

"When they decided to revive the Olympic Games, Athens was justly chosen as the place where the first modern Olympics should take place," archeologist and historian Theodoros Papakostas told CGTN. 

Many things have changed in the past 128 years, from the addition of new sports and events, to the prize money some athletes will receive for winning. But one thing remains the same – the pride felt by athletes in representing their country.

"The love I receive from people is enormous; it feels that I'm not only competing for me, I'm competing for them, " Olympic sprinter Maria Belibasaki told CGTN. "I won't forget when I arrived in my small town in Crete after the Olympics. I was walking down the street, and people were stopping me, hugging me, and crying."

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What is the Olympic torch and what does it symbolize?

Historically, the opening of the Olympic Games symbolized not just the beginning of an athletic event but also a truce between dueling city-states during the competition.

The Olympic Truce is still signed before every Games to this day, highlighting the role of the games as a symbol of peace and unity.

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