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The Olympic Flame and Torch Relay
The Flame 
The lighting of the Olympic flame is a practice continued from the ancient Olympic Games. It all starts at the ancient site of Olympia in Greece, where a flame is ignited by the sun rays reflected off a curved mirror, and then kept burning until the closing of the Olympic Games. The flame is lit by women dressed in ancient-style robes, resembling those worn in ancient times, and using a curved mirror and the sun.
The idea of an Olympic Flame burning from the start of the games to the closing was first introduced in 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. The flame represents a number of things, including purity and the endeavor for perfection.
The Relay
In 1936, the chairman of the organizing committee for the 1936 Olympic Games, Carl Diem, suggested what is now the modern Olympic Torch relay. After the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, a torch is lit which is then passed from runner to runner from the ancient site of Olympia to the Olympic stadium in the host city. As such, the relay represents a continuation from the ancient Olympic Games to the modern Olympics.
Torch Trivia
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The first Olympic torches were made by the Krupp Company, better known for providing weapons for two world wars.
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The torchbearer for the 1956 Olympics was a virtually unknown 19 year old at the time he carried the torch into the stadium at Melbourne. Ron Clarke went on to become the world's finest distance runner in the 1960s.
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The right to be part of the torch relay in LA 1984 was sold for $3,000 a kilometer, over Greek protests, although the $11 million raised went to local youth groups.
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In 1996, ex-boxer Muhammad Ali jogged to final leg on the relay to light the cauldron at the start of the Centennial Games.
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In Sydney, 2000, Australian Aboriginal Cathy Freeman lit the cauldron at the start of the Games, and went on to win the 400m race.
- In 2008, the torch relay to Beijing was disrupted by protestors against the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
Related Pages
- other Olympic Traditions
