The sacred flame for the Paris 2024 Olympics which will be lit on Tuesday in Olympia, the birthplace of the ancient Games, will journey to the four corners of Greece before heading to France on April 27.
This is the first time since events for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 Beijing Winter Games had to be toned down due to the Covid-19 pandemic, that spectators will be able to attend the torch relay events.
600 dignitaries are expected at the ceremony headed by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
The ritual will see actresses in the role of ancient priestesses coaxing the Olympic flame into life with the help of a parabolic polished mirror in Olympia, southwestern Greece, where the Games were born in 776 BC.
American mezzo-soprano, Joyce Di-Donato is to deliver the Olympic anthem.
The ceremony is conducted at the ruins of the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera and sets off the Olympic torch relay that marks the countdown for each Games.
Cloudy skies are forecast for Tuesday but the flame was successfully lit in a rehearsal on Monday, a backup that can be used if necessary during the official ceremony.
The torch dates back to the ancient Olympics when a sacred flame burned throughout the Games.
The tradition was revived in 1936 for the Berlin Games.