Ukrainians in New York cheer Olympic torch in Kyiv

NEW YORK - Members of New York City's Ukrainian community gathered in Times Square on July 5 to celebrate the arrival of the 2004 Athens Olympic Torch in Kyiv. The Olympic Flame is on a worldwide journey that will culminate in its arrival at the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Leaders of various Ukrainian groups based in New York gathered in Times Square to view New York's salute to Kyiv on the Samsung electronic screen. The message said: "New York City salutes Kiev [sic] as it receives the Olympic Flame 39 days until the Athens Olympic Games."

New York City Sports Commissioner Ken Podziba said: "On behalf of Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg and the more than 8 million residents of New York City, it is my pleasure to welcome some very special people and organizations who have gathered here this morning to celebrate the arrival of the 2004 Olympic Torch in Kyiv."

The Olympic flame was lit in ancient Olympia, Greece, on March 25 signaling the countdown to the 2004 Olympic Games. It began its global journey in Sydney, Australia, and it will eventually visit 34 cities worldwide, including all Olympic Games host cities. For the last few weeks of the global torch relay, it will travel to local communities before lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games on August 13. The flame will travel an average of 30 miles in each city. For the first time, the torch relay will travel across all five land masses represented by the Olympic rings.

The New York City portion of the Torch Relay took place on Saturday, June 19, and traveled 34 miles through all five boroughs cheered on by hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. This portion of the relay culminated in an Olympic Truce Ceremony at the United Nations and a celebration in Times Square.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 11, 2004, No. 28, Vol. LXXII

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