2000 Olympic Torch Relay

2000 Olympic Torch Relay

At the beginning of the millennium the IOAPA received the fantastic news that the Organizing Committee invited us to participate again in the Olympic Torch Relay in Greece. The Executive Committee of the IOAPA was very excited at this news and started working immediately to try and set the best criteria of how the participants would be chosen. Since time was very limited, all the members who had e-mail addresses were informed and instructed to contact any other members in their countries who might be interested in participating. Due to the very limited time, as well as financial problems, only thirteen members could finally make the trip to Greece. However the Organizing Committee for this event left no stone unturned to make this event memorable. Mr. Carlo Farrugia was the co-coordinator of the event. All thirteen members ran part of the 5 kms stretch assigned to the IOAPA and carried the torch for part of the run.

The IOAPA group met in Athens on 9 May and traveled together for three days to Olympia for the lighting ceremony and to Tripoli for the Torch Relay run and back to Athens on the 11 May. The feeling was great and all the members formed a fantastic, easy to wok with, group. We were invited to attend the lighting ceremony in Olympia and also managed to visit the Academy, which brought back so many nice and vivid memories. We were all so happy to be there again. But the best moment came when we had the opportunity to carry the torch and run in the Olympic Torch Relay. The first feeling of touching the actual Olympic Torch was great, and to be able to light it, carry it and keep it as a memento of the occasion is beyond words. The feeling of running with the Olympic Torch cannot be described. We were ecstatic and so happy to have gotten the chance to carry the torch. To be able to have these nice memories is in itself fantastic, but to also be able to have the official uniform and to be able to have one of the Olympic Torches is out of this world.

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