The countdown to the Winter Olympics has begun in earnest with the lighting of the traditional flame in ancient Olympia in Greece.
However, the ceremony was marked by human rights protests against the event being staged in China next year.
The Games will be staged in the Chinese capital Beijing between 4 and 20 February.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to hover over the Olympic movement, and only a few special guests were present to witness the Olympic torch being lit in a traditional ceremony.
The normal run to its traditional resting place was scrapped as well. Instead, three athletes were chosen to carry the flame to the ancient Athenian site of the Acropolis, where it stayed overnight before being handed over to Chinese organisers in an official handover ceremony.
The flame will then be flown back to China where it will begin its tour through the country.
The protesters wanted to make their feelings known about China being chosen to host the Games, because of its record in Tibet and Hong Kong, and their treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority.
Greek police arrested four Tibetan activists outside the Olympia arena who had been holding a banner that said 'No to the genocide Games'. They were not allowed to enter the site, but have not yet been formally arrested.
A day earlier, however, two had been taken into custody after unfurling a banner from the top of the Acropolis, demanding freedom for Hong Kong residents. They were later identified as belonging to a New York-based campaign, which is part of the pressure group 'Students for a Free Tibet'.
More protests are expected before the Olympics flame is finally on the plane to China.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) maintains that everybody is entitled to their ideas and their principles, and has refused to comment on the protests.
Expecting them to change their minds about China as hosts for the Winter Olympics at this stage is akin to expecting a leopard to change its spots after they chose the country in the first place.
There are too many vested interests involved with the Beijing Games now for there to be any alternative.