The Ceremony for the Lighting of the Flame of Hope for the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2013 took place yesterday at the Zappeion Hall. The ceremony was attended by the Chairman and CEO of Special Olympics, Dr. Timothy Shriver, the President of Special Olympics Hellas, Joanna Despotopoulou, the Chairwoman of the Organizing Committee for the 2013 Pyeongchang Games, Na Kyung-won.

The Mayor of Athens, Giorgos Kaminis also addressed the event. Following the lighting ceremony, the Flame of Hope torch relay ran through the historical centre of Athens, and will continue in South Korea in the following days.

The 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games will take place in PyeongChang, South Korea from January 29 to February 5, with the participation of 2,300 athletes from 127 countries.

Greece will be represented by a 55-member Greek Special Olympics Team, whose athletes will be competing in various sports, such as Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing and Floor Hockey.