Greek team starts parade of Olympic athletes

Greece’s Alexandros Nikolaidis carries the flag during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, 2012, in London. AP/Matt Slocum

LONDON — Greece’s Olympic team has entered the stadium at the head of a parade of athletes from the 204 nations participating in the 2012 London Games.

The Greeks are being led by flagbearer Alexandros Nikolaidis, a two-time taekwondo silver medalist. The beleaguered country’s athletes always come out first in honor of Greece’s place as the birthplace of the Olympic Games. After that, countries parade in alphabetical order, with host Britain last.

Roughly 10,500 athletes are participating, although some have skipped the three-hour ceremony in order to be well-rested for competition.