Greece at the Olympics while Greece has also hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics. During the parade of nations at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Greece always enters the stadium first and leads the parade to honor its status as the birthplace of the Olympics, with the notable exception of 2004 when Greece entered last as the host nation. Before the Games the Olympic Flame is lit in Olympia, the site of the Ancient Olympic Games, in a ceremony that reflects ancient Greek rituals and initiates the Olympic torch relay. The flag of Greece is always hoisted in the closing ceremony, along with
London 2012 Olympic Torch gripped, as does its textured surface, which is perforated with 8,000 holes. The holes represent the 8,000 runners in the London 2012 Torch Relay and the relay distance. Functionally, they reduce the torch's overall weight and ensure that heat from its flame is dissipated without conducting down the handle. They create a level of transparency in the torch, where one can see through to the flame and burner mechanism, and they also allow a 'fuller' flame that escapes from all sides of the Torch, rather than solely from the top, where the flame can tend to be flattened when a