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Olympic flame

(Redirected fromOlympic torch)

TheOlympic flameis asymbolused in theOlympic movement.It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games.[1]The Olympic flame is lit atOlympia, Greece,several months before theOlympic Games.This ceremony starts theOlympic torch relay,which formally ends with the lighting of the Olympiccauldronduring theopening ceremonyof the Olympic Games. Through 2022, the flame would continue to burn in the cauldron for the duration of the Games, until it was extinguished during theOlympic closing ceremony.In2024,electric lighting and mist were used to create a simulated flame for the Olympic cauldron, with the actual flame kept in a lantern exhibited at an adjacent location. That lantern was then taken by French swimmerLéon MarchandfromJardins des Tuileries(where the Olympic cauldron, that was extinguished at that moment, was located) and ceremonially "transferred" to theStade de Franceat the start of theClosing Ceremony;there it was finally extinguished just after the IOC president declared officially closed the Games.[2][3]

Origins

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The Marathon Tower at theAmsterdam Olympic Stadium,where a symbolic flame burned in 1928

The first time that a symbolic flame made its appearance in theSummer Olympic Gameswas for the1928 Summer OlympicsinAmsterdam.The main purpose of this fire, placed in a large bowl on top of a slender tower, named "the Marathon Tower", was to indicate for miles around where in Amsterdam the Olympic Games were being held.[4]This tower was associated with the marathon race and all its elements, including the fire, were an idea of the architect Jan Wils who also had designed thestadium.

The idea for the Olympic flame was derived fromancient Greekceremonies where a sacred fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of theancient Olympicson the altar of the sanctuary ofHestia.[5][6]InAncient Greek mythology,fire had divine connotations and it was thought to have been stolen from the gods byPrometheus.Sacred fires were present at many ancient Greek sanctuaries, including those atOlympia.Every four years, whenZeuswas honoured at the Olympic Games, additional fires were lit at his temple and that of his wife,Hera.The modern Olympic flame is ignited every two years in front of the ruins of the temple of Hera.

When the idea of a symbolic fire was introduced during the1928 Summer Olympics,an employee of the Electric Utility of Amsterdam lit the first symbolic flame in the Marathon Tower of theOlympic Stadiumin Amsterdam.[7]The Olympic flame and the Olympic torch relay was first introduced to theSummer Olympicsat the1936 Summer OlympicsinBerlinbyCarl Diem.[8]The first ever torch-lighting ceremony was held inOlympia, Greeceon July 20th, 1936.[9]The torches used were made byKrupp,and the mirror used to light the flame was made byZeiss Optics,both companies with links to theNazi governmentof the time.[10]

Main ceremonies

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Lighting of the flame

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Lighting the Olympic flame in adress rehearsalin Greece, using the sun's energy
Actresses playing the role of priestesses during the Olympic flame lighting ceremony

The Olympic flame is ignited some weeks or months before the opening ceremony of theOlympic Gamesat themain siteof theancient OlympicsinOlympia, Greece.

A group of women representing theVestal Virgins[notes 1](usually 11 in number) perform a celebration at theTemple of Hera,during which a fire is kindled by the light of the Sun, its rays concentrated by aparabolic mirror.The fire is used to light the first torch of the Olympic Torch Relay. Where cloudy weather prevents the use of the parabolic mirror on the day of the ceremony (as in 2024), a backup flame is used that has been lit during a prior dress rehearsal.[11]An actress plays the role of the temple's high priestess and presents the torch and an olive branch to the first relay bearer, usually a Greek athlete who has already qualified to compete in that edition of the Games. This is followed by a recitation of a poem byPindar,and the release of a flock of doves to symbolize peace.[citation needed]

At the beginning of the ceremony, the Olympic hymn is sung first followed by the national anthem of the country hosting the Olympics and the national anthem of Greece along with the hoisting of the flags.

Olympic torch relay, 1952
Olympic torch relay, 1996
Olympic torch relay, 2012
The 2014 Olympic torch in space duringSoyuz TMA-11M

After the ceremony at Olympia the Olympic flame first travels Greece. It first goes to the Coubertin Grove on the site of theInternational Olympic Academy,where it is used to light an altar beside the final resting place ofPierre de Coubertin's heart.[12][13]The flame is then transferred during a ceremony in thePanathenaic Stadiumin Athens from theHellenic Olympic Committeeto the current year's National Olympic Committee (NOC) and local Organizing Committee (OCOG) hosts.[14][15]

At the end of the first Olympic torch relay, the Olympic flame arrives in Berlin, 1936

TheOlympic torch relay,which transports the Olympic flame fromOlympia,Greece to the various designated sites of the Games, had no ancient precedent and was introduced byCarl Diemat the1936 Summer Olympicsin Berlin, Germany.[16]

At the first Olympic torch relay, the flame was transported from Olympia to Berlin over 3,187 kilometers (1,980 miles) by 3,331 runners in twelve days and eleven nights. Nazi Propaganda Minister,Joseph Goebbels,commissioned filmmaker and propagandist,Leni Riefenstahlto film the event.[17]

In the 1956 Melbourne Games in Australia, local veterinary studentBarry Larkinprotested against the relay when he tricked onlookers by carrying a fake flame, consisting of a pair of underpants set on fire in aplum puddingcan, attached to a chair leg. He successfully managed to hand over the fake flame to theMayor of Sydney,Pat Hillsand escape without being noticed.[18][19][20]

The Olympic torch travels routes that symbolise human achievement or the history of the host country. Although most of the time the torch with the Olympic flame is still carried by runners, it has been transported in many different ways. The fire travelled by boat in 1948 and 2012 to cross theEnglish Channeland was carried by rowers inCanberraas well as bydragon boatinHong Kongin 2008.[21]

It was first transported byairplanein 1952 when the flame travelled toHelsinki.In 1956, all carriers in the torch relay toStockholm,where the equestrian events were held instead of in Melbourne, travelled on horseback.

Remarkable means of transportation were used in 1976, when the flame was transformed to a radio signal and transmitted from Europe to theNew World:Heat sensors inAthensdetected the flame, the signal was sent toOttawaviasatellitewhere it was received and used to trigger alaserbeam to re-light the flame.[22][23]The torch, but not the flame, was taken into space by astronauts in 1996, 2000 and 2014.[24]Other unique means of transportation include aNative Americancanoe,acamel,andConcorde.[25]The torch has been carried across water; during the French leg of the1968 Winter Olympicswas carried across the port ofMarseillesby a diver holding it aloft above the water.[26]In 2000, an underwater flare was used by a diver across theGreat Barrier Reefen route to the Sydney Games.[27]In 2012 it was carried by boat acrossBristol Harbourin the UK and on the front of aLondon Undergroundtrain to Wimbledon.

In 2004, the firstglobal torch relaywas undertaken, a journey that lasted 78 days. The Olympic flame covered a distance of more than 78,000 km in the hands of some 11,300 torchbearers, travelling to Africa and South America for the first time, visiting all previous and future Summer Olympic cities, and finally returning toGreecefor the2004 Summer Olympics.

The2008 Summer Olympics torch relayspanned six continents before proceeding throughChina.However, there was protests against China's human rights record in London where a "ring of steel" was formed around the flame to protect it, but one protester managed to grab hold of the torch while it was being held by television presenterKonnie Huq.[28]In Paris the torch was extinguished at least twice by Chinese officials (five times according to French police[29]) so that it could be transported in a bus amid protests while it was being paraded through Paris.[30][31]This eventually led to the cancellation of the relay's last leg in the city.[32]Demonstrations were also held inSan Franciscoand the route the torch would take was cut in half.[33]

As a result, in 2009, the International Olympic Committee announced that from the2010 Winter Olympics,the future torch relays could be held only within the country hosting the Olympics after the initial Greek leg was finished.[34]Although this rule took effect with the2010 Winter Olympics,the organizers of the2012 Summer Olympicsin London, the2014 Winter Olympicsin Sochi and2016 Summer Olympicsin Rio de Janeiro chose to hold their torch relays only in their respective hosting countries of United Kingdom, Russia and Brazil (except for brief stops in the United States, Ireland and Switzerland respectively).[35][36]In 2016, ten days before the beginning of the2016 Summer OlympicsinRio de Janeiro,citizens ofAngra dos Reis,a city nearRio de Janeiro,managed to extinguish the Olympic flame during a protest against the city spending money on hosting the Olympics despitean economic crisis in Brazil.[37]

The Olympic torch relay in the host country ends with the lighting of the Olympiccauldronduring theopening ceremonyin the central host stadium of the Games. The final carrier is often kept unannounced until the last moment. Over the years, it has become a tradition to let a famous athlete of the host nation, former athletes or athletes with significant achievements and milestones be the last runner in the Olympic torch relay.

Re-igniting the flame

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It is not uncommon for the Olympic flame to be accidentally or deliberately extinguished during the course of the torch relay (and on at least one occasion the cauldron itself has gone out during the Games). To guard against this eventuality, multiple copies of the flame are transported with the relay or maintained in backup locations. When a torch goes out, it is re-lit (or another torch is lit) from one of the backup sources. Thus, the fires contained in the torches and Olympic cauldrons all trace a common lineage back to the same Olympia lighting ceremony.

  • One of the more memorable extinguishings occurred at the1976 Summer Olympicsheld inMontreal,Quebec,Canada.After a rainstorm doused the Olympic flame a few days after the games had opened, an official re-lit the flame using a cigarette lighter. Organizers quickly doused it again and re-lit it using a backup of the original flame.[23]
  • At the2004 Summer Olympics,when the Olympic flame came to thePanathinaiko Stadiumto start the global torch relay, the night was very windy and the torch, lit byGianna Angelopoulos-Daskalakiof the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee, blew out due to the wind, but was re-lit from the backup flame taken from the original flame lit at Olympia.
  • In October 2014 in Russia, the Olympic flame was blown out atthe Kremlinand was reignited from a security officer's lighter instead of the back up flame.[38]

The design of 2004 had a safeguard built into it: There are two flames inside the torch. There is a highly visible (yellow flame) portion that burns cooler and is more prone to extinguish in wind and rain, but there is also a smaller hotter (blue in the candle's wick) flame akin to apilot lighthidden inside the torch which is protected from wind and rain and is capable of relighting the cooler, more visible portion if it is extinguished. The fuel contained inside the torch is able to keep it lit for approximately 15 minutes before it would be extinguished.[39]

Selected relays in detail

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See also:List of Olympic torch relays
2016 Summer Paralympics torch relay

The flame is transported from Greece to the host country where the flame is transported by torch around the host nation to the main stadium.

Olympic cauldron lighting

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Paavo Nurmilighting the Olympic flame in Helsinki in 1952

During theopening ceremonythe final bearer of the torch runs towards the cauldron, often placed at the top of a grand staircase, and then uses the torch to start the flame in the stadium. The climactic transfer of the Olympic flame from the final torch to the cauldron at the central host stadium marks the symbolic commencement of the Games.

As with being the final runner of the Olympic torch relay, it is considered to be a great honor to light the Olympic cauldron, and in the same way it has become a tradition to select notable athletes to conduct this part of the ceremony. On other occasions, the people who lit the cauldron in the stadium are not famous but nevertheless symbolize Olympic ideals.JapaneserunnerYoshinori Sakaiwas born on the day of theatomic bombing of Hiroshima.He was chosen for the role to symbolizeJapan's postwar reconstructionand peace, opening the1964 Tokyo Games.At the1976 GamesinMontreal,two teenagers — one from the French-speaking part of the country, one from the English-speaking part — symbolized the unity ofCanada.

At the2012 GamesinLondon,the torch was carried bySir Steve Redgraveto a group of seven young British athletes (Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt,Desiree Henry,Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds andAdelle Tracey) — each nominated by a British Olympic champion — who then each lit a single tiny flame on the ground, igniting 204 copper petals before they converged to form the cauldron for the Games.

Li Ning, a Chinese gymnast, lit the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics after "flying" around the stadium on wires.
See also:List of people who have lit the Olympic cauldron

The first well-known athlete to light the cauldron in the stadium was the ninefold Olympic ChampionPaavo Nurmi,who excited the home crowd in Helsinki in 1952. In 1968,Enriqueta Basiliobecame the first woman to light the Olympic Cauldron at the Olympic Games inMexico City.

Perhaps one of the most spectacular of Olympic cauldron lighting ceremonies took place at the1992 Summer Olympicsopening ceremony,whenParalympicarcherAntonio Rebollolit the cauldron by shooting a burning arrow over it, which ignited gas rising from the cauldron,[40][41]although there are theories that the cauldron was manually forced to ignite.[42][43][44]Two years later,the Olympic fire was brought into the stadium ofLillehammerby aski jumper.In Beijing 2008,Li Ning"ran" on air around the interior edge of theBeijing National Stadium's roof, and lit a cauldron attached to it.

Olympic cauldron designs

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The cauldron and the pedestal are always the subjects of unique and often dramatic design. These also tie in withhowthe cauldron is lit during the Opening Ceremony. After being lit, the flame in the Olympic cauldron continues to burn during the Games, until theclosing ceremony,when it is finally put out symbolizing the official end of the Games.

  • In Los Angeles in 1984,Rafer Johnsonlit a wick at the top of the archway after having climbed a big flight of steps. The flame flared up a pipe, through the Olympic Rings, and on up the side of the tower to ignite the cauldron. The cauldron used in 1984 is the centerpiece of theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum;it was used in 1932 and will likely also be used in 2028.
  • In Atlanta in 1996, the cauldron was an artisticscrolldecorated in red and gold. It was lit byMuhammad Ali,using a mechanical, self-propelling fuse ball that transported the flame up a wire from the stadium to its cauldron.[45]At the1996 Summer Paralympics,the scroll was lit byparaplegicclimberMark Wellman,hoisting himself up a rope to the cauldron.
  • In the2000 Summer Olympicsin Sydney,Cathy Freemanwalked across a circular pool of water and ignited the cauldron through the water, surrounding herself within a ring of fire. The planned spectacular climax to the ceremony was delayed by the technical glitch of a computer switch that malfunctioned, causing the sequence to shut down by giving a false reading. This meant that the Olympic flame was suspended in mid-air for about four minutes, rather than immediately rising up a water-covered ramp to the top of the stadium. When it was discovered what the problem was, the program was overridden and the cauldron continued up the ramp, where it finally rested on a tall silver pedestal.
  • In the2002 Winter Olympicsin Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, the cauldron was lit by the members of the winning 1980 US hockey team. After being skated around the centre ice rink there in the stadium, the flame was carried up a staircase to the team members, who then lit a wick of sorts at the bottom of the cauldron tower which set off a line of flames that travelled up inside the tower until it reached the cauldron at the top which ignited. This cauldron was the first to use glass and incorporated running water to prevent the glass from heating and to keep it clean.
  • For the2004 Summer Olympicsin Athens, the cauldron was a giant reproduction of the Olympic torch that year which was based on an olive leaf; it bowed down to accept the flame from windsurferNikolaos Kaklamanakis.[46]
  • In the2006 Winter Olympicsin Turin,Stefania Belmondoplaced the flame on an arched lighting apparatus, which initiated a series of fireworks before lighting the top of the 57-metre-high (187 ft) Olympic cauldron, the highest in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.[47]
  • In the2008 Summer Olympicsin Beijing, thecauldronresembled the end of a scroll and it was also a giant version of the torch used in that year's relay. But the design was lifted out from the stadium rim and spiralled upwards. It was lit byLi Ning,who was raised to the rim of the stadium by wires. He ran around the rim of the stadium while suspended and as he ran, an unrolling scroll was projected showing film clips of the flame's journey around the world from Greece to Beijing. As he approached the cauldron, he lit an enormous wick, which then transferred the flame to the cauldron. The flame then spiralled up the structure of the cauldron before lighting it at the top.[48]
  • In the2010 Winter OlympicsatVancouver,a team of athletes (Catriona Le May Doan,Steve Nash,Nancy GreeneandWayne Gretzky) were to simultaneously light the base of poles resembling ice crystals, which would then carry the flames upwards to thecauldron.However, only three out of four poles came out of the ground due to mechanical problems, resulting in inadvertently excluding Le May Doan from lighting it with the other three athletes. Because the site of the ceremonies -BC Place- was a domed stadium, Gretzky was sent hidden via the back of a pick-up truck to a secondary site — theVancouver Convention Centrewhich served as theInternational Broadcast Centrefor these Olympics — to light the outdoor cauldron of a similar design located indoor, but taller than the one placed in the stadium, as Olympic rules state that the flame must be in public view for the entirety of the Olympics. In the closing ceremonies, Le May Doan took part on thestarting of closing ceremony in a joke about the mechanical glitch,and she was able to light the fully raised fourth pole and have the indoor cauldron relit.
  • At the2012 Summer Olympicsin London, the flame was passed to a group of seven young British athletes (Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt,Desiree Henry,Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds, andAdelle Tracey) who then each lit a single tiny flame on the ground, igniting 204 copper petals (one for each delegation in the Games) that rose up on narrow black pipes to form a singlecauldron.The cauldron that traditionally flames continuously from the opening until the closing ceremony was temporarily extinguished (the flame itself was transferred to a lantern) prior to the athletics events while the cauldron was moved to the southern side of thestadium.It was relit byAustin Playfoot,one of final torchbearers from the 1948 Summer Olympics.[49]In contrast to the cauldrons in Vancouver, the cauldron was not visible to the public outside the stadium. Instead, monitors had been placed throughout the Olympic Park showing the public live footage of the flame.
  • For the2014 Winter OlympicsinSochi,Russia, thecauldronwas situated directly outsideFisht Olympic Stadium,the ceremonial venue for the Games. After the torch's lap around the stadium, triple gold medalistsIrina RodninaandVladislav Tretiakcarried the torch outside the stadium to light a larger version of the "celebration cauldron" used in the main torch relay at the center of the Olympic Park. A line of gas jets carried the flame from the celebration cauldron up the main cauldron tower, eventually lighting it at the top.
  • For the2016 Summer OlympicsinRio de Janeiro,Brazil,a scenic cauldronwas lit inside theMaracanã Stadium,the ceremonial venue for the Games, byVanderlei de Lima.As part of these Games' appeal towardsenvironmental protection,organizers deliberately chose to use a basic design with a smaller flame than past cauldrons. To compensate for the smaller cauldron, this was accompanied by a largerkinetic sculpturedesigned byAnthony Howe.In deliberate contrast to how the public could not have direct contact with the symbol four years earlier, the Organizing Committee decided to build the replica scenic cauldron, and site the official cauldron in theCandelária Church Plaza;it would be lit following the opening ceremony's ending.[50][51][52]
  • For the2018 Winter OlympicsinPyeongchang,South Korea, the flame was eventually handed toYuna Kim,who was at the top of a set of steps. She then lit a wick of sorts, which lit a large metal flaming pillar with thirty parts, representing the 30 years sinceSeoul 1988as a time tunnel between the two Olympic Games held in the Republic of Korea. The pillar rose to the top of the cauldron, lighting it. The cauldron was a large sphere on the top, nested inside a white sculpture. The cauldron's design was inspired byJoseon white porcelain.
  • For the2020 Summer OlympicsinTokyo,Japan, the flame was handed toNaomi Osaka,who stood in front of a large mountain-like structure resemblingMount Fuji.At the top of the mountain was a large closed ball, resembling the sun. This ball unfolded, revealing many petals of a flower representing hope, energy and vitality, forming thecauldron.Osaka then walked up a set of steps revealed as the ball unfolded and lit the cauldron. As with the Vancouver and Rio games, two cauldrons were made. One scenographic was located inside the Olympic stadium and the official outside, which was located on theAriake West Canalbridge.
  • The Organizing Committee of the2022 Winter Olympicsheld in Beijing, chose to eschew the Olympic cauldron entirely, and used a small structure: the final two torchbearers — the skiers Zhao Jiawen andDinigeer Yilamujiang— fitted the last torch into a pedestal at the centre of a large sculpture of a snowflake, constructed from placards with the names of each competingNational Olympic Committee.Another two cauldrons were lit after, at the games' other two clusters, and the official cauldron was within theOlympic Green.[53][54]
  • For the2024 Summer Olympicsin Paris, thecauldronappeared to lift ahot air balloon,an echo of France'shistorical contributions to balloon flight,tethered to the Grand Bassin Rond fountain in theTuileries Garden.To symbolize a commitment to sustainability, instead of combusting a fuel, the cauldron was fully illuminated by electricity, using 40 computer-controlledlight-emitting diodesilluminating a ring of water-filledaerosol spray dispensers,in partnership withÉlectricité de France.The actual flame is kept burning in a lantern that is displayed adjacent to the cauldron in the gardens.[55][56]While the balloon is aheliumsphere, it is not a hot-air design.[57]
Main article:2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron

Coinage

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The Olympic flame has been used as a symbol and a main motif numerous times in different commemorative coins. A recent example was the50th anniversary of the Helsinki Olympic Games commemorative coin,minted in 2002. In the obverse, the Olympic flame above the Earth can be seen.Finlandis the only country highlighted; it was the host of the 1952 games.

Commercialization

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Prior to the2002 Winter Olympics,professorBob Barneyco-authored the bookSelling the Five Rings(2002), with Stephen Wenn and Scott Martyn, which discussed the history of corporate sponsorships and television rights for the Olympic Games.[58][59]Barney argued that the Olympic torch had been commercialized since its inception in 1936, and that sponsors of the torch relay benefit from brand awareness; whereas the medalpodiumceremonies which began in 1932, had not become commercialized since no advertising is allowed inside Olympic venues.[60]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^The RomanVestais derived from the Greek goddessHestia.Hestia's rituals at the founding of a new settlement also included the transfer of a continuous flame from the founding city.
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References

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