Olympia (Greece) (AFP)

The Olympic flame for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games (February 4-20) was lit on Monday at the ancient Greek site of Olympia according to the traditional ritual but in the absence of the public because of the Covid-19.

The flame was lit shortly after 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT) by the rays of the sun on the ruins of the ancient temple of Hera in Olympia, cradle of the ancient Games.

Only Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, representatives of the Greek and Chinese Olympic Committees and accredited journalists were present.

For the second time in a row and the third in the history of the modern Olympics, the traditional ceremony was held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, as for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Before the health crisis, the flame was only lit behind closed doors in 1984, when Greek organizers wanted to protest against the commercial nature of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Actress Xanthi Georgiou, dressed as a former Greek priestess, lit the flame in the traditional way, with the rays of the sun passing through a parabolic mirror.

"In these difficult times that we still live in, the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be an important moment to bring the world together in a spirit of peace, friendship and solidarity," said IOC President Thomas Bach.

Calls for a boycott of the Beijing Games and protests around the issue of human rights in China, particularly concerning the Uyghur minority but also in Hong Kong, have multiplied in recent days.

On Sunday, three Tibetan activists were arrested at the Acropolis in Athens after waving the Tibetan flag and the flag of the "Hong Kong revolution" atop the Acropolis, chanting "Boycott Beijing 2022" and "Free Tibet ".

Thomas Bach called for "more solidarity within societies".

"As the global coronavirus pandemic has clearly shown, we can only meet the many challenges of this world in solidarity. (...) There is no peace without solidarity," he said. added.

© 2021 AFP