Rio Olympic Flame nears Greek-Turkish border

The Olympic Flame for the "RIO 2016" Summer Olympic Games arrived near the Greek-Turkish land border on Sunday evening at the city port of Alexandroupolis.

At the end of the fourth day of the Torch Relay on Greece' s soil, the symbol of the Olympic values of peace and friendship received a warm welcome at the center of the city which is about 40 kilometers west of the border crossing.

A local children' s choir was signing anti-war songs such as John Lennon' s "Imagine" as the Sacred Light was carried by Dimitris Alexoudis, Greek champion in shooting.

Among torchbearers at Alexandroupolis where the Flame will stay overnight, were also veteran volleyball player Thanassis Moustakidis, para-athletes Dimosthenis Michalentzakis and Dimitris Karypidis.

Among torchbearers at one of the previous stops, at the city of Drama, was shooting world champion Anna Korakakis who lit the cauldron.

Korakakis will travel to Brazil this summer aiming at a medal. Local para-athlete in archery Anna Tzika also carried the torch across Drama' s streets.

In the city of Serres earlier, the cauldron was lit by Greek freestyle wrestler Apostolos Taskoudis and at Thessaloniki, near the Olympic museum, the 2nd Vice President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Thanassis Vasileiadis lit the cauldron.

On the fifth day of the relay, the Olympic Flame will continue its journey to central Greece.

On Wednesday April 27 the Greek leg of the Relay will end at the Panathinaic stadium in Athens, where the Hellenic Olympic Committee will pass over the Flame to the Rio Games organizers.

The second leg of the Torch Relay across Brazil will end at Maracana stadium in Rio on Aug. 5.
Source: XINHUA