Santa Barbara AHEPA Chapter 243

When the Olympic Torch arrives in Langley next Monday, it will be day 102 of a 106-day journey that began in Greece, and has crossed every province and territory in Canada.
For the 2010 Winter Olympics, the torch was first carried by Greek skier Vassilis Dimitriadis (foto), who took it out of the stadium at Olympia for the first of thousands of legs.
On 7th of February the Greek delegation for the Winter Olympic Games will leave for Vancouver. In the delegation will be the athletes: Vasilis Dimitriadis (giant slalom), Lefteris Fafalis (cross-country skiing), Athanassios Tsakiris (biathlon), Sophia Ralli (ski slalom), Stefanos Aleksios Tsimikalis (alpine skiing). Lefteris Fafalis who is currently at a competition outside Greece will travel to Vancouver by himself. The following week for Vancouver will also leave the President of the Greek Olympic Committee – Spiros Kapralos and the secretary in chief Manolis Katsiadakis. According to the words of the leader of the delegation Vasilis Kotsaras, the main goal for the athletes during the games, which will be held between February 12th and 28th will be to qualify among the first 30 as each place better than the first thirty would be equal to a medal for Greece. According to Kotsaras the Greek athletes already have a medal and this is the medal for clear sport, the sport without doping and stimulating substances, of the respect to the task which Greece has assigned to them.
On Feb. 12, the flame will be carried into B.C. Place Stadium to light the Olympic cauldron and signify the opening of the games.
The Olympic Games run from Feb. 12 to 28, and will be followed by the 2010 Paralympic Games, which run from March 12 to 21. A Paralympic torch relay will begin March 3 in Ottawa