(Sports Network) - Greek actress Maria Nafpliotou had the honor of lighting the Olympic torch on Thursday ahead of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

After the ceremonial lighting, Greek skier Vassilis Dimitriadis, serving as the first torchbearer, ran out of the stadium to start the Greek leg of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.

Dimitriadis, who carried the flame past the nearby Pierre De Coubertin Grove, will be the same one that lights the Olympic Cauldron in 113 days to officially begin the 2010 Winter Games on February 12.

On October 30, the torch relay will start its 45,000-kilometer journey across Canada in Victoria, British Columbia. It is the longest domestic relay in Olympic history.

"It is always a special moment to be in Olympia, the birthplace of Olympism," said Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee. "The Olympic Torch and Flame are symbols of the values and ideals that lie at the heart of the Olympic Games. It's a message of friendship and respect to millions of people of different nationalities, races and creeds."















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