TORCHBEARERS INCLUDE BRAZILIAN SOCCER LEGEND PELE, HOLLYWOOD�S TOM
CRUISE, AND KOSTAS ZOGRAFOPOULOS
This specially-outfitted Olympic Airlines 747 is the only airliner in the world
authorized to carry an open flame in flight; 3 �Mother Flames,� kindled in Olympia,
are kept onboard.
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1. Rio de Janeiro
June 14: The day began with three Air Force fighters escorting �Zeus�
into Brazilian airspace before landing in Rio at dawn. At Macarana Stadium,
soccer legend Pele wept as he held the Torch and emerged from a human
�bouquet� of 1,000 children in the center of the field. In the streets,
it was Mardi Gras all over again, with samba processions, and celebrants
dressed in Ancient Greek costumes. This is the first time the Olympic
Flame has shone in S. America.
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2. Mexico City
June 15: The host city of the 1968 Olympics welcomed the 2004 Flame with
a show fea-turing hundreds of Sport University students. Enriquta Basilio
(L), the first woman to light a stadium cauldron at the Olympics, carried
the Torch again�36 years after her historic first. |
3. Los Angeles
June 16: At 95, Peter Glentzos is the oldest U.S. citizen/Olympian alive.
Together with celebrities such as Tom Cruise (L), Sylvester Stallone, and
the Pastor of St. Sophia Cathedral, Peter carried the 2004 Torch through
the streets of the host city of the 1984 Olympics. |
4. St. Louis
June 17: When the first Olympics in the U.S. were held here in 1904, there
were few Hellenes. 100 years later, Costas Catsavis (L), and Kosta Zografopoulos
were among the throngs at the famed Arch, outside St. Nicholas Church and
at the celebration in Forest Park that attracted 10,000 spectators. |
5. Atlanta
June 18: ATHOC Head G. Angelopoulos-Daskalaki joined the thousands watching
as boxing�s Evander Holyfield (L) ran the Flame of the Athens Games in triumph
through the streets of the city that beat Athens in its bid for the Centennial
Olympic Games of 1996 |
6. New York
June 19: From Astoria�s Athens Park to the Statue of Liberty, the Athens
2004 Flame visited the city�s landmarks. Archdiocese Chancellor, Bishop
Savas, led the dignitaries in a prayer for peace as it began its 34-mile
journey to the U.N. and a Broadway-style finish in Times Square.
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7. Montreal
June 20: To music composed for the occasion by George Spaniotis, George
Adamopoulos began the final run of the 2004 Flame in The Americas through
the streets of Montreal, site of the 1976 Olympics, |
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