体坛英语新闻：Be true to human nature, value Games: Olympic Flame ceremonies High Priestess

It is most probably impossible for anyone to describe and explain the feelings she has during the ceremonies, when she ignites the Flame using sunrays and a concave mirror amongst the ruins of Hera's Temple in Olympia, Menegaki said. Anyway, what is important is not what she feels, but how to transmit the emotions to the audience, she stressed pointing to the theatrical stage.

"When an actor plays, the significant thing is not to stir emotions for himself or herself, but trigger emotions and emotional cleansing -- Katharsis in ancient Greek tragedy -- for the audience. So, how I feel at the time, as a person, is not so important. As an artist, creator, interpreter what is important is to trigger emotions to the people watching," she said.

Menegaki feels a special link with China though. For the 2008 Beijing Games she acted as Estiada, the priestess who carries the pot with the Sacred Flame inside the ancient Stadium at Olympia just before the High Priestess lights up the torch and hands it over to the first torchbearer. She became the High Priestess for first time for the first Youth Olympic Games "Singapore 2010".

She speaks with enthusiasm about her visit to Beijing in 2008 after the Games, when she participated in a festival playing the priestess.

"I was given the opportunity to visit many places in Beijing. They gave me the opportunity to see the Great Wall, to see all significant monuments of this city. And it was a great experience for me. It made me feel closer to this great civilization. It moved me," she said.

Asked to forecast the future of the ceremonies and the Games, she noted that each ceremony -- which is always unique, always modest with minor new elements, always inspired by the ancient Greek history and culture, is the beginning of a race and an end.

"And now that we have completed this year's race with joy, I think soon we will start thinking about the future, about the next ceremonies," she said. If she would be given the opportunity to choose the next High Priestess, she would choose a good person most of all.

"It is the most significant. In Greek language the word person (anthropos) means looking up (ano throsko)," she explained referring to the ancient Greek philosophy again. It means that people should always try to better themselves, gain more and more knowledge, live with values.

As for herself, she will finish her Master's degree course on Olympic Studies at Olympia and spend more time with her pet dog named Zorro.