Three men from a free-press group ran onto the field of the stadium in Ancient Olympia during Monday's flame-lighting ceremony for the Beijing Games, evading massive security aimed at preventing such disruptions in the wake of China's crackdown in Tibet. Three members of the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders were detained after their protest, which occurred as Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Olympics organizing committee and Beijing Communist Party Secretary, was giving a speech. Police confirmed they had detained three French nationals. One protester held a banner showing the Olympic rings as handcuffs. “If the Olympic flame is sacred, human rights are even more so,” the French group said in a statement. “We cannot let the Chinese government seize the Olympic flame, a symbol of peace, without denouncing the dramatic situation of human rights in the country.” Moments later, a Tibetan woman covered herself in red paint and lay in the road in front of a runner carrying the Olympic torch into the village of ancient Olympia, while other protesters chanted “Free Tibet” and “Shame on China.” Two protesters were seen being detained by police, but Greek authorities had no immediate comment. Pro-Tibet groups said four of its members had been detained. IOC president Jacques Rogge attended the ceremony, where the sun's rays were used to kindle the flame. “It's always sad when there are protests. But they were not violent and I think that's the important thing,” Rogge said. Greek authorities also denounced the incidents. “The Greek government condemns every attempt to interfere with the ceremony for the lighting of the Olympic flame, through actions that have no relation at all with the Olympic Spirit,” government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said. The ceremony was held an hour early - starting at 0900 GMT - to avoid rain forecast for later Monday. Clouds hid the sun ahead of the 2000 Sydney Games, as well as the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Winter Games, forcing organizers to use a backup flame. From Olympia, the flame started on its 137,000-kilometer journey across five continents, ending at the Beijing stadium on Aug. 8. Actress Maria Nafpliotou, playing the high priestess, handed the torch to Alexandros Nikolaidis, who won a silver medal in taekwondo at the 2004 Athens Games. He was to hand the flame to Luo Xuejuan, who won China's only swimming gold in Athens. A total 645 torchbearers will carry the flame through Greece for a week, over 1,528 kilometers. It will make a stopover at the Acropolis before being handed over to Chinese officials at the restored ancient stadium where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896. Forests around the birthplace of the ancient Olympics were devastated by wildfires that killed 66 people and ravaged southern Greece last year. More than 30,000 trees and shrubs have since been planted around the site. __
