Maria Moscholiou, Olympic high priestess has died.

Postcard showing Maria Moscholiou lighting the Olympic Flame for the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.

By Philip Barker

Maria Moscholiou, the longest serving high priestess of the Olympic flame has died in Athens.

Moscholiou lit the Flame for four successive Olympic Games from 1968 and for the Winter games in 1976 and 1980.
Greek Culture minister Lena Mendoni paid tribute to “The seriousness, elegance and prestige of the presence of Maria Moscholiou which were identified with the Olympic Ideal and with the lighting of the Olympic Flame. As High
Priestess, she created the Olympic Flame in four ceremonies, giving the essential impetus for the greatest world
celebration, with the great universal message of cooperation, peace and the good fight. She will be forever connected with the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games.”

Moscholiou had made her name in the Greek theatre by the time she was chosen to play the role of High Priestess for
the Mexico Olympics in 1968.

The lighting ceremony was then a more low key affair,but working with veteran choreographer Maria Horss, she
remained as the principal performer throughout the seventies.

In 1976, the Flame was transmitted by electronic sensor from Athens to Ottawa ahead of the Montreal Games.
“ I remember Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau saying in his speech that if the ancient Greeks could see this lightning
transmission of the Flame, then they would say how it was done with the intervention of the gods.” she recalled in a
rare interview.

She kindled the Flame for the final time ahead of the Moscow 1980 Games.

“Creating the Olympic Light is an unbelievable feeling. Watching what happens next in the countries where the
Olympic Flame is travelling is unbelievable.”

She was later honoured with the City of Athens medal for her contribution to the Olympic ideal.

Artemis Ignatiou, current head choreographer of the Flame ceremonies, posted photographs of Moscholiou in Olympia on social media to mark her passing with the message “Have a nice trip to the light.”