The flame that will burn at next year’s Sochi Winter Olympics has been handed over to Russia at the Panathenian Stadium in Athens, where the first modern Games were hosted.
The flame had travelled through 33 cities in Greece for a week after being lit in Ancient Olympia. It was presented to Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak. The flame will be flown to Moscow on Sunday, and it will then begin the longest torch relay in the history of the Winter Games from the Red Square. Carried by a record 14 thousand torch-bearers, it will travel more than 65 thousand kilometers, looping around Russia’s 83 regions on foot, in sleighs, hot air balloons and even on a trip to space.