The ceremonial lighting of the flame for the Paris Olympics took place at the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in Greece. Due to cloudy skies, a backup flame from the previous day’s rehearsal was used instead of the customary method involving sunlight. This symbolic event marks the beginning of a torch relay journey across Greece before its handover to the Paris 2024 organizers. The tradition of the flame lighting ceremony, rooted in the connection between modern and ancient Olympics, involves a priestess igniting a torch using a concave mirror to focus sunlight.