“Curtain” a few days ago for the Olympic Torch Relay exhibition “The Flame of the Beautiful, the Great and the True” who was hosted for more than five months in the house where the poet of the Olympic Hymn was born, in “Cost Palamas” Letter House in Patras. Where a rare collection of modern Olympic torches, from the distant 1936 to the most recent of this year’s Olympic Games organized in Paris.
An exhibition that moved many thousands of Patrons, pupils, students, older fellow citizens, athletes, Olympians, artists and attracted hundreds of foreign visitors who had the opportunity to be guided around the site, to learn important elements of history and to discover the special connection of Patras with the Olympic flame and the Olympic ideal.
“The impact of the Exhibition on the world was particularly impressive. The public of Patras responded, sports and cultural associations as well, many individual visitors, numerous bookings for guided tours” noted the head of spiral Petros Psomas, speaking at pelop.gr for the implementation of the idea that was born in 2020 and was implemented four years later with huge success. “An extremely encouraging element is the number of people from outside Achaia who visited the “Kostis Palamas” House of Letters during the exhibition. Personalities of Olympism, Sports, Culture and Spirit, tourists from Greece and abroad, passers-by from our region who came for this reason to visit the site” he added.
“The most touching of all – which peaked during the last two months of September – October – were, of course, the student visits. Schools in Patras and elsewhere, all educational levels, special schools, entire school units or specific classes. They came, they were guided, they learned, they asked, they left their comments, they impressed us with their observations, they left with new knowledge and fresh reflections. This was the best gift for us and we thank them” noted Mr. Psomas, on the occasion of the completion of an effort that required the work of his partners.
It left an impression on thousands of visitors: students, athletes, natives, tourists, people of the city, lovers of culture, sports and Olympism, on everyone who passed by the “Kostis Palamas” House of Letters
END TITLES WITH AN ENDING CEREMONY
The end credits are expected to drop on Friday, November 15with one Closing Ceremony organized by the Kostis Palamas House of Letters, with the cooperation of the Region of Western Greece, at the “My Way” hotel, in the presence of people from Olympism and executives who contributed to the organization of this important initiative.
Spiral is proceeding with the digitization of the Exhibition and the production of a documentary about the whole experience
People from the Olympic movement, torchbearers, priestesses of the Touching Ceremony, Olympians, Paralympians, officials of the Olympic and Paralympic Committee and other sports and cultural factors have been invited to the Closing Event – as well as to the corresponding Opening Event of the Exhibition
Besides, the spiral – through which the idea of organizing this initiative was born in the distant 2020, but was wrecked due to the coronavirus – has taken care to keep the exhibition “alive” through a digital version, which will be uploaded to the internet before the end of the year, and a documentary about the Olympic Torch Relay.
«Patra is an Olympic city. Not only because it was officially anointed at the 2004 Games, not only because of the many athletes, champions and Olympians of antiquity and the modern Games, but also for other reasons that our Report highlighted. Here are some: we are the birthplace of Kostis Palamas who wrote the Olympic Anthem, Patras is home to Kula Pratsika who was the first runner in the 1936 Olympiad, we are the closest metropolis to Ancient Olympia, the Torch Relays have always passed through here – luckily this year it did able to return the route from our parts and I hope that we will not lose this privilege again in the future» notes Petros Psomas.
“All of the above were the starting points of our initiative. And our knowledge that some Olympic Torches existed in the homes of Patrinas, collectors, Olympians, Torchbearers or their descendants. When we started communicating and collecting the rare items, we didn’t think where it would all lead. Fellow residents entrusted us with valuable family heirlooms, institutions and persons responded to the open call, torches and other evidence and documents arrived at the “Palamas House” with great enthusiasm from their owners” adds Petros Psomas.
THE 30+2 OLYMPIC DADES
“Protagonists” the 30 +2 modern Olympic torches. Among them the 20 Summer Games torchesfrom the first Olympiad (in Berlin in 1936) where a torch relay was held to the last event (in 2021 in Tokyo). A special moment of the exhibition, the completion of the collection with the rarely Montreal 1976 Olympic Torchgranted to the organizers by Theodoros Mallia who had it in his personal Olympic collection, while for a few days the exhibition was also hosted by torch of this year’s Olympic Gamescourtesy of the Paralympic Committee.
6 torches from Paralympic Games, granted to the organizers by the Hellenic Paralympic Federation
With them and 5 representative of the Winter Olympics as well as 6 from Paralympic Gamesall granted by the Hellenic Paralympic Federation.
“At the beginning of September, we ended up having at the Exhibition the ultimate: all the torches of the Summer Olympics in one room! I don’t know many organizers and places in the world that have managed to do something like this. Plus a rich range of Winter Games and Paralympics torches, plus rich material of all forms, exhibits, audio-visual, donations, interactive, primary texts – product of historical documentation, etc.” emphasized Petros Psomas, particularly proud of the implementation of the idea, which the members of his municipal faction and all those who worked for the specific result, of course want to have a continuation.
KULA PRATSIKA
The first touch of the Olympic Flame was revived in 1936, after 27 centuries in Ancient Olympia. In a special ceremony, the choreographer priestess Kula Pratsika refers the supplications to Zeus.
“O Zeus, lord of all and everything, guide, to you O Zeus, I send this prayer as the beginning of my hymns…” The flame with a concave mirror is lit by the rays of the sun in the sacred area of Olympia, and is handed over by the priestess to the first torch bearer, Kostas Kondylis.
Kula Pratsika was the second of the Patristic figures of culture that the spiral honored at the Olympic Torch Relay Exhibition
A particularly touching moment was the visit during the exhibition by a member of the Pratsika family, who came to contribute abundant material related to the Protheir of the Touch of the Flame during the first related ceremony, shortly before the 1936 Olympiad in Berlin.
“We would also like to thank those who donated items for the Exhibition as a gift. We played the role of intermediary, which may have been tiring and dedicated, required teamwork and methodical work, had costs of all kinds, employed many human and non-human resources, but we have not regretted it at all. On the contrary, the exhibition left a sweet taste for those we dealt with. And a stubbornness to succeed someday for Patra to acquire a City Museum which in its sports annex has a full room for Olympic Patras”.
Christos Dimitropoulos, the man who had the idea and Maria Alaniadis, who together with her colleagues gave her “flesh and bones”
THE COEFFICIENTS
It is recalled that the exhibition was edited by Maria Alaniadisresearch and coordination o Stefanos Dimitropoulos with her assistance Giorgias Tsiotasediting the texts o Konstantinos Antonopoulosthe documentation o Athanasios Kritsinelisthe graphic design o Konstantinos Theodoropoulos and the logo of the poster h Claire Zisimatos and audiovisual material o Konstantinos Giris. The contribution of the volunteers of the municipal group of the spiral, under the guidance-coordination of Ioannas Kyritsis as well as the Political Secretariat and the working committees of the faction that contributed to the organization.
See just some of the dozens of photographic snapshots during the five-month operation of the Exhibition, which left its own imprint on Patraiki society:
#Curtain #Olympic #Torch #Relay #Exhibition
” src=”https://pelop.gr/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ekthesi-spiral-3-240×300.webp” alt=”Report” width=”240″ height=”300″ title=””Curtain” for the Olympic Torch Relay Exhibition on 11/15 – Psoma: “A City Museum with a lot of… Olympic Patras is a necessity” PHOTO” srcset=”https://pelop.gr/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ekthesi-spiral-3-240×300.webp 240w, https://pelop.gr/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ekthesi-spiral-3-jpg.webp 769w” sizes=”(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px”/>
Visitors engaging with the Olympic Torch Relay Exhibition
The exhibition showcases the rich history of the Olympic Torch Relay, celebrating its cultural and historical significance. Not only does it highlight the 30+2 modern Olympic torches, but it also engages the local community in a collective memory, encouraging contributions from residents who share their personal stories and heirlooms related to the Olympics. This initiative not only preserves cultural heritage but also aims to inspire future generations, emphasizing the universal values of the Olympics through local involvement.
As Petros Psomas mentioned, the hope for Patra is to establish a City Museum that includes a dedicated section for Olympic history, fostering a deeper appreciation of the city’s connection to the Olympic Games. This exhibition is a step toward achieving that dream, promoting local pride and facilitating community involvement in preserving their sports history.
