'Flame of Hope' for 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games to Be Lit in Athens, Greece

'Flame of Hope' for 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games to Be Lit in Athens, Greece

July 03, 2007

           Torch-lighting ceremonies at sacred site near
Acropolis;
 Marks official beginning of Global Law Enforcement Torch
Run(R) sponsored by
                                     DHL

What: Lighting of the Flame of Hope for the Special
Olympics World Summer Games at a site near the Acropolis.
The ceremony marks the official start of the Global Law
Enforcement Torch Run(R) for Special Olympics in which the
flame is transported from Athens to Shanghai, the site of
the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, which take
place from 2-11 October. More than 400 athletes from across
the United States and Canada will compete in these World
Games.

http://www.xprn.com/xprn/sa/200611161203.jpg

When: Friday, 29 June 2007 at 11 a.m. Media covering the
event are requested to arrive no later than 10:30 a.m.
Athens time. Satellite b-roll footage of this event will be
made available to North American broadcast media -- see
coordinates below.

Where: Sacred site of Pnyx which faces the Acropolis in
Athens.

Scheduled Attendees: Anna Benaki-Psarouda, President of the
Greek Parliament; Special Olympics International President
Timothy P. Shriver; senior representatives of the 2007
Games Organizing Committee and Shanghai government,
diplomats, Greek cabinet members, representatives of sports
bodies, law enforcement officers, corporate sponsors
including senior leaders from Coca-Cola and DHL, Special
Olympics athletes and supporters.

Background:

The Flame of Hope will be lit at a site near the Acropolis
using only the rays of the sun. A team comprised of Special
Olympics athletes and law enforcement officers will carry
the flame to the Chinese Embassy. From there, the flame
will be transported by sponsor DHL from Athens to China,
traveling more than 35,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) across
five continents over 94 days. More than 5,000 people are
expected to participate in this global celebration which
symbolizes the diversity of the Special Olympics movement
and the courage of its athletes.

The Global Torch Run is a pivotal event in the lead-up to
the Special Olympics World Summer Games and the route will
include major cities around the world including Cairo,
London, Washington DC, Sydney and Beijing, before arriving
in Shanghai where the flame will be used to ignite the
cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of the 2007 Special
Olympics World Summer Games.

    TO RECEIVE BY SATELLITE    C-BAND

    FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2007      2:00 PM - 2:15 PM EDT (11:00
AM - 11:15 AM PDT)
                               G-26 T- 17, D/L Freq:  4040
V 93 degrees WL

    SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2007    4:00 AM - 4:15 AM EDT (1:00
AM - 1:15 AM PDT)
                               G-26 T- 17, D/L Freq:  4040
V 93 degrees WL

CONTACTS: Leslie Aun of Special Olympics International,
mobile: [phone], [e-mail]; or
Richard Gibbs of DHL, [phone],
[e-mail].