Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games Preview Torch Lighting Ceremony

General View, AUGUST 21, 1964 : Tokyo Olympics (1964) -- Torch Lighting Ceremony at Olympia. The torch was carried from the site of the Temple of Hera to the ancient stadium. On August 21, 1964, a torch-lighting ceremony was held at the site of Olympia in Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, to start the torch relay to Tokyo. At the site of the Temple of Hera, the main priestess, Mrs. Khazzeri, used a concave reflector to collect the sun's rays and lit the torch. The torch was then transferred to a fire pan and carried to the torch stand in the ancient stadium. The torch was then handed over to King Konstantinos II of Greece, who passed it on to the first runner of the torch relay. The torch was carried from the site of the Temple of Hera to the ancient stadium by a priestess.