The head of the Athens 2004 organising committee Gianna Angelopoulos holds a lantern containing the Olympic flame at Athens International Airport June 2, 2004, as she boards an aircraft bound for Sydney. The Olympic flame embarked on the first leg of the international torch relay on Wednesday as it headed to Sydney aboard a customised aircraft dubbed Zeus. The flame arrived at the airport in its own "magic lantern" that will house it while airborne on its 27-country tour over the next 38 days. (Agencies photo)

The head of the Athens 2004 organising committee Gianna Angelopoulos holds a lantern containing the Olympic flame at Athens International Airport June 2, 2004, as she boards an aircraft bound for Sydney. The Olympic flame embarked on the first leg of the international torch relay on Wednesday as it headed to Sydney aboard a customised aircraft dubbed Zeus. The flame arrived at the airport in its own "magic lantern" that will house it while airborne on its 27-country tour over the next 38 days.

Athens 2004 President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, with Olympic flame in hand, is going to board the airplane heading for Sydney at Athens International Airport, June 2.

Holding a Chinese flag, a Greek girl sees off the Olympic flame at Athens International Airport, June 2.(Agencies/Xinhua photo)

The Olympic flame is seen at Athens International Airport 'Eleftherios Venizelos' on Wednesday, June 2, 2004. The flame for the Athens Games departs for its global journey with first stop in Sydney. More than 11,000 torchbearers will carry the flame in Greece and around the world. Some 3,600 will take part in the international portion of its journey, which includes 27 countries and covers a total of about 78,000 kilometers (48,500 miles).