Where there's hope
The "Flame of Hope" is to arrive shortly in Ireland, site of the World Summer Special Olympic Games. Inas Mazhar reports
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Ireland 2003 Chairman Denis O'Brien receives the torch from the high priestess in Athens; Mrs Mubarak, the mayor of Athens and Abdel-Wahab, MENA's regional managing director
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In the land of the sun, the cradle of the Olympics, the Special Olympics "Flame of Hope" was lit to mark the final leg of a 15,000km trek through 16 European countries and 130 Irish communities. The torch journey, dubbed the Law Enforcement Run, will eventually end at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, the site of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games beginning next week.
The ancient ceremony, held on 4 June, took place atop the sacred site of Pnyx Hill, facing the storied Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It was witnessed by several distinguished guests including Greek President Apostolos Kaklamaris and Mrs Suzanne Mubarak who looked on as 120 law enforcement agents from around the world accepted the torch and officially assumed their roles as Guardians of the Flame.
"Mrs Mubarak shows how much she cares for Special Olympics athletes in Egypt," said Ayman Abdel-Wahab, regional managing director of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Special Olympics. "She has been praised by all international figures for her humanitarian interests in Egypt and abroad."
"We now have one mind and one objective," said running team leader Robert Belfiore during the final leg's culminating preparations. "We will support one another as a team. We are no longer from different countries, we are no longer from different states. We are one team."
More than 20 Special Olympics athletes from Europe participated in a carefully replicated lighting ceremony based on the Olympic flame's kindling that typically takes place in Olympus, Greece, before the start of every new Olympiad. Coordinating the lighting was a rewarding experience, but no small task.
"We have athletes here from eight countries who speak six languages and have had only 10 days to put this together," said Special Olympics Ireland's Eileen Brophy. "It is amazing to see how it has come together," she said .
In his keynote address to the more than 500 people in attendance, Special Olympics President Timothy Shriver praised Special Olympics of Greece and representatives in attendance from around the globe.
"On behalf of our 1.2 million athletes and the entire world of Special Olympics, I extend my thanks to those who have come from many countries and have worked so hard for this," said Shriver. "Today, hope and history will rhyme in the lyrical hearts of Special Olympics athletes all over."
With the fluted columns of the Acropolis in the distance, the guardians ran the torch through the streets of Athens, drawing applause and cheers from halted traffic and entertaining requests for photos from tourists. Before reaching the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, the torch travelled nearly three kilometres with all team members before an emotional presentation immediately following the changing of the Presidential Guard.
The run marked the first time in history that all final leg torch runners received the torch collectively in Athens. While the torch run has held a lighting ceremony every two years since 1987, never before has a run of this breadth and magnitude been undertaken.
From Athens, the final leg team split into three routes for the following five days. The torch then graced Gibraltar, Madrid, Helsinki and Istanbul. All routes met together once more in Brussels on 10 June, continued on to London on 11 June and arrive today in Belfast .
Tomorrow the flame will arrive in Bangor, County Down, where the team will be joined by members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Garda S’ochàna (Republic of Ireland police force), who will carry the torch throughout Ireland.
The final leg team will stop in over 130 communities across Ireland where ceremonies will take place. Local people may join the run as it makes its way through their community.
In keeping with final leg tradition, the team will carry the flame to Croke Park on 21 June for the opening ceremony of the Games.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is an international series of torch relays run by law enforcement officers, leading up to each state or province or nation's Special Olympics Summer Games. Law enforcement officers raise money in conjunction with their respective torch runs for their local Special Olympics Programme.
