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![2024-04-16 14:37 Countdown to 2024 Paris Olympics starts as Greece lights flame at Olympia](https://s.france24.com/media/display/e1368654-fbf3-11ee-9349-005056a97e36/w:980/p:16x9/m:{"brand":"FRANCE24","lang":"EN","program":"","cartouche":"GREECE","hash":"e7493768a4c64859d53d37e094750fd1cb90c1a0775dff090141ee72f41c0649","title":"Paris%202024%20Olympic%20flame%20lit%20in%20Olympia","id":"25aba80c-45fb-11ec-90e2-005056bf30b7"}/capture-1768084178661e7ac0996307.04288545.webp)
On Tuesday, the flame for this summer’s Paris Olympics was lit at the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in southern Greece in a meticulously choreographed ceremony. It will then be carried through Greece for more than 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) before being handed over to French organizers at the Athens venue used for the first modern Olympics in 1896.