The first and last Torchbearer of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been announced!

The details for the Olympic Torch Relay "Paris 2024" which will run from 16 to 26 April 2024, was presented by the Hellenic Olympic Committee at an event at its headquarters.

As announced by the President of the Olympic Torch Relay Committee of the HOC Thanasis Vassiliadis, the first Torchbearer will be the Olympic gold medalist in rowing Stefanos Duskos, while the Flame will last be carried to the Panathenaic Stadium, by the men's national water polo team led by the Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist, Yiannis Fountoulis, who will deliver it to the President of the HOC Spyros Kapralo to pass it on to the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee.

The Lighting of the Flame will take place on April 16 in Ancient Olympia and will begin an eleven-day journey. Approximately 600 torchbearers will carry the Olympic Flame throughout Greece, travelling over 5000 km Greek 41 municipalities and concluding on 26 April 2024, at the Panathenaic Stadium, where the modern Games were revived.

The Olympic Flame route was designed to meet four key ambitions:

• To tour throughout Greece, connecting the four geographical edges of the country, from Crete to Alexandroupolis and from Corfu to Kastelorizo.
• To promote our most important archaeological sites, highlighting the treasures of our history and culture (Ancient Ilida, Mycenae, Knossos, Delphi, Ancient Philippi, Vergina, Sounion, Acropolis).
• To highlight the emblematic landscapes that compose the beauty of Greece (Methoni, Nafplio, Santorini, Meteora).
• To highlight the age-old bonds of friendship between Greece and France. With this in mind, Messolonghi was chosen, among others, as a reference to the work of Eugène Delacroix, Greece in the ruins of Messolonghi and Pylos for the famous Battle of Navarino.

The President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Kapralos, among other things, stated: "The Hellenic Olympic Committee is once again ready to successfully carry out this important mission. In this way, we promote our country in the best way around the world, reminding us that the Olympic Games were born in our country and we, the younger Greeks, remain worthy guardians of this heavy heritage.

But what matters even more to us are the very special messages sent by the Olympic Flame. Especially at a time when there are wars in many parts of the world. At such a time, peace, cooperation, fair play, the ideals of Olympism, are what can rekindle the flame of hope. Just yesterday, during the 78th United Nations General Assembly, a resolution was adopted to observe the Olympic Truce during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This underlines the unifying strength of sport and especially the Olympic Games in such a fragile world. So we can build a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal."