According to an article on AntiNews.gr, the IOC is organizing the Youth Olympics this summer in Nanjing, China. As with all such events, the Olympic flame that initiates the start and end to the games is usually lit up in Ancient Olympia and then flown to the relevant country that is hosting the games. Well, the games that are scheduled to be held between August 16-28, 2014, will not follow the same procedure.
According to the author, a couple of days before we rang in 2014, the Greek Olympic Committee received a letter from the IOC which left them in complete awe. The letter informed the members of the Greek committee that there was a possibility that the traditional ceremony in Ancient Olympia will not be held this year in an effort to reduce costs. But that is not all. The IOC also revealed that they decided to hold a flame-lighting ceremony somewhere in China under a new set of rules (that obviously have no relation to those of Ancient Olympia)!
The Greek Olympic committee was totally shocked. If the IOC decides to write its own rules and abolish the symbolic lighting of the flame in Ancient Olympia for any event that is aligned to the Olympic Games, then Greece's affiliation with these prestigious games will slowly begin becoming a thing of the past. If we accept this as a community, then we might as well forget being Greek!
We need to make NOISE frappers, and a lot of it. This can never come to pass.
Aside from the symbolic significance of this lighting ceremony, the Olympic Games are part of our heritage, weaved into our history and are our pride as a nation. We must NEVER, EVER allow the IOC to interpret our culture and history the way it chooses!
Think about it, if they plan to stage a new lighting ceremony in the framework of cutting down on costs -or so they say- then what is to stop them from doing this at some other Olympic event? What we are basically trying to say is that this incredible and unprecedented decision could open the door for the permanent abolition of the traditional lighting of the flame in Ancient Olympia!
The letter has alarmed the members of Greece's Olympic organizing committee, and for good reason! It now has to negotiate the matter with the IOC, and from what we read the IOC is already showing signs of not wanting to compromise.
We here at HellasFrappe believe that the Greek government should raise this issue at an international level. The more we pressure them to do so as a community, the more chances we have of not allowing internationalists to interpret our culture and history any which way they see fit.
Our ancestors believed that fire was given to humankind by Prometheus, and had sacred qualities. Today, the flame emphasizes the connection between the ancient games and the modern ones as well as represents the values of Peace and Brotherhood which is the basis of the Olympics. The flame lighting has been part of the Olympic Games since they began. We cannot allow the world to forget that our nation made this contribution to the world.
The Olympic flame should only light up in Ancient Olympia. This cannot be compromised.
Our argument should be, no flame lighting in Olympia... then NO OLYMPIC GAMES!
HellasFrappe will be following the story, and once we have more information, we will post it. Meanwhile, please open a discussion with your friends and your families about this issue. The more we begin discussing matters of national importance, the more we make our voices heard. Please do not remain indifferent.
A FOLLOW-UP Story has been posted, please click HERE to read.