受疫情影响，希腊取消东京奥运火炬传递

希腊奥委会3月13日宣布，出于对公众健康的考虑，取消2020东京奥运火炬希腊境内的剩余传递活动。

东京奥运会圣火于3月12日在奥运会发源地希腊伯罗奔尼撒半岛的古奥林匹亚遗址采集成功，火炬随后开始在希腊境内传递。

受疫情影响，这次圣火采集仪式没有现场观众，且只对国际奥委会和东京奥组委的100名注册人士开放。

然而因为大批民众不顾疫情防范的警告、围观火炬传递，在与希腊卫生部门和国际奥委会协商之后，希腊奥委会决定取消在希腊境内的火炬传递活动。

3月19日，奥运圣火将按原计划交接给东京奥组委，当天的交接仪式也将没有观众列席观看。

Greece's Olympic Committee on Friday said it was cancelling the rest of the torch relay for the Tokyo 2020 Games on Greek soil as large crowds had turned out despite coronavirus warnings.

"The rest of the torch relay on Greek soil has been cancelled," the committee said, adding that the Olympic flame would be handed over to Tokyo organizers on March 19 as scheduled, but without spectators.

It noted that crowds had ignored "repeated warnings" not to gather in force at stopovers in the torch relay.

Greece has so far declared 117 cases of the coronavirus, one of whom died on Thursday after 10 days in hospital.

The move was announced after a large crowd mobbed Hollywood actor Gerard Butler as he lit a cauldron in the city of Sparta.

Butler had starred as the ancient Spartan King Leonidas in the 2007 epic "300," and repeated his famous line from the movie – "This is Sparta" –  for gathered media.

The flame for the 2020 Tokyo Games was lit in ancient Olympia on Thursday amid an unprecedented health lockdown as Greece registered its first death from coronavirus.

The ceremony was held without spectators after dozens of people tested positive for COVID-19 in the broader western Peloponnese. Up to 12,000 had been expected to make their way to Olympia, where the ancient Games were held.

Only 100 accredited guests from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, compared to 700 originally, were allowed to attend Thursday's ceremony.

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