Greek rower Elias Papas said on Tuesday that he would train hard to earn qualification for this summer's Beijing Olympic Games to realize his lifetime dream of competing in the most important sports gathering.

"This year is the qualification year for rowing. First of all, I will strive for qualification," Papas told Xinhua after he ran as the second torchbearer in the Ioannina leg of the second-day Olympic torch relay in Greece.

The 26-year-old Papas has never participated in the Olympic Games. He was a reserve rower in 2004 when the Olympic Games were held in Athens.

He said he was "very grateful" about being selected as the torchbearer for Ioannina as it was such a great honor.

"It is important for the world to have a successful Olympics in Beijing as China is an ancient civilization with a long history and has one of the best cultures and peoples in the world," he said.

The Olympic Flame for the Beijing Olympic Games was lit in ancient Olympia on Monday.

The torch relay will last seven days on Greek soil, covering 1,528 km by the hands of 605 bearers, and the Olympic flame will be handed over to the Organizing Committee of Beijing on March 30.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2008)