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Apr 28, 2016

Actress Katerina Lechou, performing as the high priestess, passes the Olympic torch to Spyros Capralos, head of the Hellenic Olympic Committee during the handover ceremony of the Olympic Flame to the delegation of the 2016 Rio Olympics, at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece, April 27, 2016. Photo: Panayotis Tzamaros / FOS PHOTOS

Olympic Flame Handover Ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens (PHOTOS)

After a six-day trek across Greece, the flame that was lit last Thursday by the sun’s rays at the birthplace of the Games in Ancient Olympia was presented to the Brazilian organizers.

The ritual performed by the High Priestess Katerina Lehou and the Priestesses was inspired by the choreographer Artemis Ignatiou to the music of the composer Yiannis Psimadas. Photo: Panayotis Tzamaros / FOS PHOTOS

The torch relay on Greek territory was completed earlier, with the world rowing champion Katerina Nikolaidou being the last torchbearer and lighting the cauldron in the Panathenaic Stadium. Photo: Panayotis Tzamaros / FOS PHOTOS

Spyros Capralos, head of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, hands over an Olympic torch to Rio’s Olympic chief Carlos Nuzman. Photo: Panayotis Tzamaros / FOS PHOTOS

The Olympic Flame was handed over to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro delegation on Wednesday, 100 days before the opening of the Olympic Games in the presence of 30,000 spectators. Photo: Panayotis Tzamaros / FOS PHOTOS

The ceremony began with Olympic champions entering the Panathenaic Stadium holding the flags of Greece and Brazil. Photo: Panayotis Tzamaros / FOS PHOTOS

The ceremony was attended by the President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos and the Minister of Sport Stavros Kontonis. Photo: Panayotis Tzamaros / FOS PHOTOS

The national anthems of Greece and Brazil as well as the Olympic Anthem were performed by the Children’s Olympic Choir of the Hellenic Olympic Academy. Photo: Panayotis Tzamaros / FOS PHOTOS