At birthplace of Olympics, performers at flame-lighting ceremony feel a pull of the ancient past

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Performers, who will take part in the flame lighting ceremony for the Paris Olympics, enter the Olympic Velodrome ahead of a practice in Athens, Greece, Saturday, March 30, 2024. Every two years, a countdown to the Olympic games is launched from its ancient birthplace with a flame lighting ceremony in southern Greece at Ancient Olympia. The event is marked with a performance by dancers who assume the role of priestesses and male companions, their movement inspired by scenes on millennia-old artwork. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)