PARIS - The Paris 2024 Olympic Games flame will be lit on April 16 next year, marking the countdown to the July 26 - Aug. 11 games in the French capital, an Olympic movement source said on Thursday.

The flame will be lit at Greece's ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Games, and will remain in the country for about a week before a handover ceremony in Athens and departure to France, the source told Reuters.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Jon Boyle)