ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Olympic flame has been handed to organizers of the Sochi Winter Olympics in a ceremony at the site of the first modern summer games.
The same actress, dressed as a high priestess, who lit the flame in Ancient Olympia last Sunday, lit a torch from a cauldron placed inside Athens' Panathinaiko Stadium. The flame, placed in a lantern, was handed over to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak.
After a seven-day run through Greece, the flame will cover 65,000 kilometers on Russian soil. The record-setting relay will start on Monday in Moscow and will finish in Sochi on Feb. 7, the opening day of the games.
A few dozen activists staged a peaceful protest earlier Saturday against Russia's law banning gay propaganda.
News Topics: Sports, 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, Protests and demonstrations, Winter Olympic games, Olympic games, Events, Political and civil unrest, General newsPeople, Places and Companies: Greece, Sochi, Athens, Russia, Western Europe, Europe, Eastern Europe
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