In the time-honored ceremony at ancient Olympia, the Beijing 2022 Olympics flame was lit on Monday, just over 100 days before the start of the Winter and Paralympic Games in February. The Chinese capital will make history by becoming the first city to host both the Winter and Summer Games in the modern Olympic movement, which began in Athens in 1896.

The ceremony took place at the ancient stadium in the western Peloponnese in the presence of Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, accompanied by a small number of dignitaries and members of the Beijing 2022 organizing committee. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, no spectators were allowed at the site, and the customary Olympic Torch Relay around Greece has been cancelled.

Despite tight security, three human rights activists managed to break the police cordon and protest on the edge of the stadium. Just after the Olympic Flame was lit, they attempted to unfurl banners but were escorted away by security personnel. Another group of four activists staged a protest outside the ancient stadium an hour before the ceremony.

The lead-up to the 2022 Games have been marred with controversy as US lawmakers and human rights groups around the world have called for a boycott over China’s human rights record. They have made repeated calls on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Games and relocate the event unless China ends what the United States deem an ongoing cultural and ethnic genocide against the Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups.

Following the event, the Olympic Flame was taken to Athens to spend the night ahead of Tuesday’s Handover Ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium, after which the Beijing committee will transport it to China. The Games are scheduled to take place on February 4-20.

The Olympic flame, a symbol of the modern Olympic movement, is also symbolic of the continuity between the ancient and modern games. First introduced in 1928 for the Amsterdam Summer Olympics, the idea for the Olympic flame was derived from ancient Greece, where a sacred fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient games.