The Olympic Games: Greece's Legacy to the World

Later this evening, the Olympic Flame will light up London's Olympic Stadium, heralding the beginning of the Olympic Games, just one of Greece's significant and enduring legacies to the world. 

The Olympic Games, embodying centuries of culture, ideals and values bequeathed to us by our noble ancestors... embodying the values of the brotherhood of peoples, peace, friendship, and fair play - ideals and values which have survived wars, disasters, turmoil and tribulations, to be handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years...

The lighting of the Olympic Flame heralds the beginning of  the greatest celebration of sport and youth that takes place every four years on our planet... The Olympic Games

This flame, ignited by the rays of the sun by the high-priestess in Olympia, after invoking the God Apollo, was carried across Greece, from Castellorizo to Xanthi, to Crete, from village to  village and town to town, and handed over to the London 2012 Olympics Organisers in May.

The highly symbolic, and somehow appropriately rainy, handover took place at Athens’ Panathenian Stadium – the stadium built for the homecoming of the first modern-day Olympics in 1896. 

In Ancient Greece, the Olympic Flame commemorated the theft of fire from Zeus by Prometheus and was kept burning throughout the Olympic Games...

When the Games came home to Greece in 2004 there were many who doubted we would succeed - the British, Australian and American Press among the worst critics – but succeed, we did, and what’s more we did it brilliantly, with organisation and class, proving once and for all, the power we Greeks have when we are united, the power we have when we work together as one!   

As Greece’s Olympic flame lights up the skies of London tonight, and is kept burning throughout the Olympics, let its meaning of life, light, purity, freedom, peace and friendship spread around the world, uniting us all as people.

As Greeks, as Hellenes, let’s celebrate our unique heritage and the great things our ancestors gave the world! 

Let’s hold our heads up high, leave the pettiness to those who would be petty and stand proud of that heritage!

Citizens of London, 

Citizens of England, 

Citizens of the World…. 

As we watch the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony tonight,
 let's remember to pay tribute to Greece.

Enjoy the Olympics -  they are Greece's enduring legacy to the world!

The photos are from the Olympic Flame Handover Ceremony 

at Athens Panathenian Stadium

'Kallimarmaro'

Photo of the Day: Greece's Answer to British PM David Cameron

Closing England's borders to Greeks?

Start by deporting one of the most famous, 

the Caryatid held hostage at the British Museum.

One resourceful Greek's answer to David Cameron's 'Greek' comments 

set the social media on fire this week. 

This picture got shared more than 2300 times from our Facebook Page post alone

Author Unknown:We don't know who he or she is but we'd love to!

Earlier this week, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, despite the position he holds, displayed a remarkable and unbelievable lack of diplomacy along with a deplorable lack of knowledge of history, solidarity and EU laws thus earning himself and his nation an offical reprimand from the Greek government who summoned British Ambassador Dr David Landsman for explanations.

Making incendiary statements designed to appease his right wing element and the euro sceptics, David Cameron who as PM of a country in the EU, singles out the Greeks as his major problem, when the UK has so many millions of immigrants from every corner of the world - legal or otherwise - that tap its resourcesm, hoping that by so doing he will keep Britain 'safe'.

Every country needs to protect itself but by making one of those countries the focus, it implies a racism which is not at all appropriate or seemly for a fellow EU member, and particularly hypocritical considering Britain is not even in the Eurozone.

In fact, it is worth questioning why he persists in making comments that relate to Greece  leaving the Eurozone, when the Greek people quite clearly voted against such a move on June 17?

In so doing he picked a major fight with Greece, the 'racist' comments on closing the UK's borders, specifically to immigrating Greeks but of course any other Europeans who would leave the Eurozone or the EU, not sitting very well with the people of Greece.

Nick Malkoutzis, editor of the English language Kathimerini was quick to respond with his article 'Why are you afraid of the Greeks, Mr Cameron?'

Such comments came from the Prime Minister of a country which enjoys so many  benefits because of the Greeks - the stolen Parthenon Sculptures which have people flocking to the British Museum, huge investments in property, a very lucrative Greek Shipping centre, bank deposits of many wealthy Greeks, and the hefty fees paid by thousands of Greek students at UK  universities are but a few of the 'Greek fringe benefits'. Even Queen Elizabeth, the reigning monarch has just celebrated 60 years on  the throne with a 'Greek' at her side (Prince Philip is Prince Philip of Greece for those who don't know).

Coming just weeks before the London Olympics begin and as the Olympic Flame, the symbol of peace and friendship, is carried by young and old from one end of the UK to the other, David Cameron's comments were insensitive to say the least! We wonder just how he plans to open the Games later this month? By condemning Greece, the country which gave them to the world?

Whilst we don't think he actually said he was going to deport Greeks, he did speak about closing the borders to Greeks and he got his answer very quickly indeed: the stolen Caryatid being held 'hostage' in the British Museum spoke out loudly and along with our exiled Caryatid, so did every single Greek in every corner of our Global Greek World, seizing the opportunity to drive home once again the issue of repatriating the Parthenon Sculptures.

The British PM is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, we know...

The UK, incredibly, is in a recession during an Olympic Year! Bank scandals have broken out one after the other, and now a rate fixing scandal explodes at Barclays.

Being Prime Minister of a country however implies an ability to lead and take decisions that will steer the country out of any crisis. Bypassing EU treaties  and making empty populist threats against a fellow EU member (whose people incidentally are not exactly breaking down your doors to get in),  in order to take your people's minds off their domestic troubles, well frankly, that has nothing to do with real leadership and has everything to do with short sightedness and a complete lack of global perspective and insight.

Sir Winston Churchill must be turning in his grave.

Live From Olympia Tomorrow: London 2012 Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony

Photo Source: Sakis Kostaris
From Olympic Torch Lighting Ceremony for Vancouver 2010

Photo Source: Sakis Kostaris
From Olympic Torch Lighting Ceremony for Vancouver 2010

Watch the Olympic Flame lighting ceremony from Olympia here live on May 10 from 10.00 CET onwards!

 or click here for live Streaming by Ustream

Global Greek Events: Olympia - The Lighting of The Olympic Flame for Vancouver 2010

Photo Source: Thanassis Stavrakis for the Associated Press

Απόλλωνα, Θεέ του ήλιου και της ιδέας του φωτός, στείλε τις ακτίνες σου κι άναψε την ιερή δάδα για τη φιλόξενη Πόλη του Βανκούβερ. Και συ ω Δία χάρισε. ειρήνη σ' όλους τους λαούς της γης και στεφάνωσε τους νικητές του Ιερού Αγώνα.

Τήνελλα ω Καλλίνικε. Τήνελλα! ...

Photo Source: Eleftherotypia (Enet)

Apollo, God of the Sun and the concept of light, send us your rays and light this sacred torch for the hospitable city of Vancouver.
And you, O Zeus, grant peace to all the peoples of the world and crown the winners of this Sacred Competition.

Godspeed in Victory!

On Thursday 23 October 2009, the eyes of the athletic world turned towards Ancient Olympia, the home of the Olympic Games, for the simple yet magnificent ritual associated with the lighting of the Olympic Flame for the winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Photo Source: Sakis Kostaris

Photo Source: Sakis Kostaris

Photo Source: Sakis Kostaris

The high priestess, Maria Nafpliotou, lit skier Vasilis Dimitriadis' torch with the one lit by the rays of the sun and handed him an olive branch to take with him on his journey, symbol of the Olympic Truce.

Photo Source: Sakis Kostaris

Photo Source: Sakis Kostaris

Photo Source: Sakis Kostaris

From Olympia, the Sacred Olympic Flame began it's week long torch relay around Greece, culminating in the official handover ceremony to be held on Thursday 29th October at 6 pm at the Kalimarmaro Stadium, in Athens, the Pan Athenian Olympic Stadium built for the 1896 Games. There the Olympic Flame will be handed over to Canada, in the presence of officials at the highest level, including the Governor-General of Canada, H.E. Michaelle Jean, and will thus set off on it's journey to Vancouver...

Photo Source: Sakis Kostaris

Vasilis Dimitriadis, a skier in the Giant Slalom competition at the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics, won the best place ever for Greece in a Winter Olympics and thus had the honour of being the first torchbearer of the XXI Winter Olympic Games.

Global Greek World especially thanks Sakis Kostaris, Hellenic Paralympic Athlete and Member of the Hellenic Paralympic Committee for kindly allowing us to use the photos of the ceremony at Olympia. Thanks very much, Saki!

To read more about the Olympic Flame Ceremony in Greek, from the Athens News Agency, Click Here