Who Could Be a Descendent of Prometheus?

In 10 days, the biggest sports festival in the globe, the 2004 Athens Olympics, will begin.

As the Olympics are being held in its birthplace after 108 years, the Athens Olympics are drawing more of the world’s attention compared to any of the former games. Above all, the most imminent question is who will be the Greek that lights the sacred fire symbolizing harmony and peace like the mythological god of fire, Prometheus, who brought fire into the human world.

The final person who ignites the sacred fire should not be known until just before the opening ceremony because of precedent. The host country tries to give a strong impression to fans all over the world by selecting a person who contributes to the country’s sports world or a special figure. A legend of boxing, Muhammad Ali, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, was chosen for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and athlete Cathy Freeman, who is an Australian aborigine, performed this duty and was applauded in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The most powerful candidate for this duty of the Athens Olympics is the Greek national football team’s star Theodoros Zagorakis, who turned Greece into a scene of wild excitement by winning a trophy in the Euro 2004 soccer tournament for the first time. It is for sure that the Olympic atmosphere will be heated to the utmost if football hero Zagoraskis appears and reminds all of Euro 2004’s enthusiasm once more in the main stadium of the Athens Olympics.

Another candidate is Konstantinos Kenteris, a male 200m short track runner who won the first gold medal in Greek track and field history in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Ten of the final flame lighting persons were athletic players since the tradition of carrying the sacred fire started in 1936, which means field and track events are important in the Olympic Games.

A composer, Milkis Theodorakis, could “appear suddenly.” He is a music hero who wrote many pieces including symphonies, opera, and ballets. Above all things, he is respected by the Greek people as a symbol of democratization who experienced imprisonment and exile many times because he led the fight in resisting the military dictatorship in the 60s and 70s.

The sacred fire has been carried 78,000 km over 78 days, which is the longest distance in Olympic history. Who will finally carry that fire? The secret will be answered in the opening ceremony after 10 days.

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com