«The Olympic Flame Passes from Hand to Hand»

Youth as a creative force, the ancient Greek concept of hēbē, the responsibility that comes with knowledge and power, and the Olympic Flame as a symbol of continuity between generations lie at the heart of Marios Joannou Elia’s new musical work.

The internationally acclaimed composer has been entrusted with the music for the Olympic Flame Lighting and Handover Ceremonies as part of his new collaboration with the Hellenic Olympic Committee. The collaboration began with the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the Flame Lighting and Handover Ceremony held on 10 September 2026 at the Panathenaic Stadium.

For the ceremony, Marios Joannou Elia composed «Ode to Youth», a work dedicated to youth as a state of movement, renewal and possibility. His music will accompany Artemis Ignatiou’s choreography and the Dance of the Priestesses, bringing ancient Greek tradition and contemporary artistic expression together in a ceremonial encounter.

«There is something inherently creative about youth: the world has not yet taken its final shape, and possibilities remain open», the composer tells Newsbomb. «I wanted to give musical form to that moment when we feel we still have much to discover in life and, above all, much to offer».

Hēbē as a Starting Point

For Marios Joannou Elia, the composition’s starting point lies in the ancient Greek concept of hēbē—the flowering of youth. This concept extends beyond physical vitality to encompass intellectual alertness, inner energy and the human capacity to shape the future.

«Hēbē, as an image of youth in bloom, gave me my starting point: the body, mind and soul in the momentum of their growth», he explains. «For me, this gives rise to a question for our time: where do we direct this strength? Vitality gains depth when it meets education, a sense of proportion and an awareness of others».

«Ode to Youth» seeks to convey this transition: impulse becoming creation, strength finding direction, and youth defined not merely by age, but by the capacity to begin anew.

«I wanted to make room for both momentum and introspection, for the confidence of movement and the hesitation before the next step», he says.

A Melody Comes of Age

At the heart of the work is a melodic idea that returns in different forms throughout the composition. The melody retains its identity, yet each reappearance reveals a new possibility.

«At the heart of the work is a melodic idea that keeps returning, transformed each time. It retains something recognisable, while each appearance reveals a new possibility», the composer explains.

For him, this musical journey is connected to human maturation. «As we grow, we learn to change without losing ourselves. The melody follows its own path towards maturity».

The relationship between identity and change runs throughout «Ode to Youth». The music becomes a space in which a question can resonate without requiring a definitive answer: how a person matures, embraces experience and remains open to what they do not yet know.

Moderation, Emulation and Responsibility

As Marios Joannou Elia explains, his interest in antiquity lies not in a fixed set of references, but in a source of questions that remain relevant today.

«I am concerned with what the ideas we have inherited might ask of us today», he notes. «Moderation, for example, raises the question of responsibility in a world of immense possibilities. Emulation invites us to consider how surpassing ourselves can coexist with respect».

The concept of moderation takes on a practical dimension in music. Every phrase, climax, pause and new entry of a musical element involves a decision about balance. «Composition constantly asks you to decide what serves the whole», he says.

Emulation, in turn, connects with sport and the athlete’s relationship with their own limits. «Athletes come to know their bodies through training, just as musicians come to know their material through study. Both learn that desire needs patience to achieve precision».

For the composer, the fellow competitor plays an essential part in this journey. «Their presence calls on you to give fuller expression to your abilities. That is where I see the deeper meaning of emulation: the possibility of striving for distinction while recognising the worth of another».

«Dance Is the Body of Ritual»

The meeting of music with Artemis Ignatiou’s choreography and the Dance of the Priestesses holds a special place in the ceremony.

«Above all, I am moved by the Dance of the Priestesses», says Marios Joannou Elia. «In their measured movements, the harmony of their bodies and their shared rhythm, I feel the human relationship with the sacred taking shape».

In the movement of the Priestesses, the composer sees the individual and the collective coexist. Each movement begins with a single body, yet becomes part of a shared expression. The same relationship exists in music, where the individual voice connects with the ensemble.

«I feel dance as the body of ritual and music as its soul. Together, they give movement an inner pulse and emotion a visible form», he emphasises.

The ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium, a place steeped in history, evokes in him «deep emotion, but also awe». His music, he says, must direct attention towards the young people at the heart of the ceremony: their efforts, the anxiety of being put to the test, and the joy of achievement through perseverance and hard work.

The Flame as a Legacy

The Olympic Flame remains the ceremony’s central symbol. Marios Joannou Elia focuses on the simple yet deeply meaningful act of passing it on.

«I am moved by the way the Flame passes from hand to hand. Each person holds it briefly, tends to it and passes it on», he says. «In this act, I see the relationship between generations: we inherit knowledge, values and works, nurture them and entrust them to those who follow».

For him, passing on a tradition is not a matter of repetition. It requires accepting that future generations will give new form to what they inherit. «Passing these things on also requires the generosity to accept that they will take forms we had never imagined», he notes.

For the composer, the myth of Prometheus and the figure of Hestia represent two different aspects of the same symbolism. Prometheus evokes human ingenuity and the power that fire bestows. Hestia reveals fire as a gathering place for community, hospitality and coexistence.

«Through fire, human beings gain the ability to transform the world. Yet they must judge in which direction to take it», he says of Prometheus, connecting the myth with the possibilities and dilemmas of the technological age.

Of Hestia, he observes: «She embodies hospitality and the place we offer others. At the Games, where people of different origins meet and compete, this holds particular significance».

From Greece to Senegal

For Marios Joannou Elia, the Olympic Flame’s journey from Greece to Senegal is more than the transfer of a symbol. He sees it as an encounter between cultures and an invitation to fresh interpretation.

«The Flame is travelling to a place with its own voices, cultures and aspirations. I am moved by the thought that the young people who encounter it will bring new meaning to its symbolism», he says.

Tradition remains alive, he adds, when it allows more people to take part in shaping it. «Ode to Youth» accompanies this journey as a musical reflection on renewal, continuity and the next generation’s capacity to claim its own place in the world.

«I would like “Ode to Youth” to encourage us to pay closer attention to the potential taking shape around us. To ask ourselves what we are passing on to young people and how much room we leave for their own judgement», Marios Joannou Elia concludes.

And if the work stirs something within the listener—a desire to create, to reach out to another person or to try again at something they had abandoned—then, as he puts it, «Ode to Youth» will have found its true purpose.