might have looked like, NBC Sports
The Olympic flame was born in an ancient Greek temple to honour Hera, queen of the gods. Her shrine was the home of the Olympic Games, a cypress-shaded site in Olympia where the first Games were held in 776 BC. The flame was carried across Greece to Athens, then handed over to the next Games’ host committee. Olympia was the departure point that linked the Ancient and Modern Games. [And it stored Baron de Coubertin’s heart].
First modern games to light a flame in the opening ceremony without a relay
Note the flame on top of the tower
Fritz Schilgen, the last relay runner, entered the Berlin Stadium
1936
Ancient Greeks never had a relay of torchbearers. So why did the modern Olympic flame go on a relay from Olympia each time? It celebrated the passing of the sacred flame of spirit from one man to the next. The relay thus: a] heralded the next Olympic Games and b] transmitted peace & friendship. Because it travelled thousands of ks, the Olympic flame had to be lit some months before each Games started.
The highlight of all Opening Ceremonies was the flame’s entrance into the stadium. The first Modern Games where a flame was lit at the entrance was the 1928 Amsterdam Games, before lighting the cauldron!
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The highlight of all Opening Ceremonies was the flame’s entrance into the stadium. The first Modern Games where a flame was lit at the entrance was the 1928 Amsterdam Games, before lighting the cauldron!
Melbourne 1956
100,000 people watched the cauldron being lit
In 1931 Carl Diem got International Olympic Committee to give the 1936 Games to Berlin. Hitler disliked the modern Olympic movement, but propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels believed the Games would be a huge victory for Nazi Germany. Inspired by ancient Greek drawings and Plutarch’s writings, Diem and Hitler saw the Nazis as the old Greeks’ rightful heirs, so the torch relay was happily co-opted.
Xth Olympiad, 1936: Berlin The Berlin Games began with torchbearers relaying the flame in Aug. It took 12 days, beginning with the flame ceremony in Olympia and passing through 7 participating nations. c3,330 runners brought the flame across 3075 ks.
C20th Olympics torches protected the flame from the weather, so German arms manufacturer Krupp designed the 1936 steel-clad torches with a magnesium-burning element. Olympic runner Fritz Schilgen held the torch up on entering Berlin’s Stadium before 100,000 spectators, selected because of his Aryan looks. There was wide German media coverage of the relay, and director Leni Riefenstahl filmed it.
The Games were cancelled until 1948. Examine the Washington Post from 1948.
XIVth Olympiad, 1948: London. Despite Nazism, UK Games embraced the ritual. Greek Corporal Konstantin Dimitrelis laid down his arms & uniform, then took the torch. The relay took 12 days for 1,416 runners to go via 7 countries!
XVth Olympiad, 1952: Helsinki For the first time the flame was transported by airplane from Athens to Denmark with celebratory stops in Munich and Dusseldorf. The flame went with runners, riders, cyclists and sailors to Sweden then Finland, taking 13 days to travel 7,870 ks.
XVIth Olympiad, 1956: Melbourne The flame was lit in Olympia in Nov, and taken to Athens. The flame was flown to Australia, with celebrations being held in Calcutta, Bangkok, Singapore, Djakarta and Darwin. The 20,470 ks relay took 21 days and 3,118 runners to reach Melbourne.
XVIIth Olympiad, 1960: Rome The 2,750 ks relay began in Aug. The torch was run from Olympia to Athens to the Port of Zea, where the flame was taken by ship to Syracuse Italy. Then the runners completed the relay to Rome.
XVIIIth Olympiad, 1964: Tokyo In Aug 1964 the plane carrying the flame made stops in Istanbul, Lebanon, Iran, Pakistan, India, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The runners reunited at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace, before proceeding to the Olympic Stadium.
Xth Olympiad, 1936: Berlin The Berlin Games began with torchbearers relaying the flame in Aug. It took 12 days, beginning with the flame ceremony in Olympia and passing through 7 participating nations. c3,330 runners brought the flame across 3075 ks.
C20th Olympics torches protected the flame from the weather, so German arms manufacturer Krupp designed the 1936 steel-clad torches with a magnesium-burning element. Olympic runner Fritz Schilgen held the torch up on entering Berlin’s Stadium before 100,000 spectators, selected because of his Aryan looks. There was wide German media coverage of the relay, and director Leni Riefenstahl filmed it.
The Games were cancelled until 1948. Examine the Washington Post from 1948.
XIVth Olympiad, 1948: London. Despite Nazism, UK Games embraced the ritual. Greek Corporal Konstantin Dimitrelis laid down his arms & uniform, then took the torch. The relay took 12 days for 1,416 runners to go via 7 countries!
XVth Olympiad, 1952: Helsinki For the first time the flame was transported by airplane from Athens to Denmark with celebratory stops in Munich and Dusseldorf. The flame went with runners, riders, cyclists and sailors to Sweden then Finland, taking 13 days to travel 7,870 ks.
XVIth Olympiad, 1956: Melbourne The flame was lit in Olympia in Nov, and taken to Athens. The flame was flown to Australia, with celebrations being held in Calcutta, Bangkok, Singapore, Djakarta and Darwin. The 20,470 ks relay took 21 days and 3,118 runners to reach Melbourne.
XVIIth Olympiad, 1960: Rome The 2,750 ks relay began in Aug. The torch was run from Olympia to Athens to the Port of Zea, where the flame was taken by ship to Syracuse Italy. Then the runners completed the relay to Rome.
XVIIIth Olympiad, 1964: Tokyo In Aug 1964 the plane carrying the flame made stops in Istanbul, Lebanon, Iran, Pakistan, India, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The runners reunited at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace, before proceeding to the Olympic Stadium.
The last relay runner in Tokyo 1964
after lighting the cauldron
XlXth Olympiad, 1968: Mexico City After Olympia and Athens, the flame was taken to Genoa on a Greek destroyer, tracing Columbus' route to the New World. At Vera Cruz it came ashore and after the 2,778 torchbearers across the 13,620 ks relay, the first woman lit the cauldron!
XXth Olympiad, 1972: Munich In July the flame was lit in Olympia and travelled to Munich. Over the 5,399 ks relay via Austria, runners were joined by cyclists, horse riders and wheelchair athletes.
XXIst Olympiad, 1976: Montreal The flame was passed to 1,200+ torchbearers. It was transferred to a sensor, which transmitted electrical impulses via satellite, lighting the flame by a Canadian laser beam.
XXIInd Olympiad, 1980: Moscow The Torch Relay started in June and lasted 31 days. The 4,915-ks journey followed the route of the 1936 Torch Relay through Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, then the USSR.
XXIIIrd Olympiad, 1984: Los Angeles The flame was lit in a ceremony with Greek officials and the Los Angeles Olympic Organising Committee. The 84 day torch relay left, landing in NY. It passed via 33 states, using 3,636 runners inc Jim Thorpe’s & Jesse Owens’ grandchildren.
XXIVth Olympiad, 1988: Seoul In the Athens ceremony, musicians played traditional Korean music. The flame travelled by plane from Greece to southern Korea, then through all of Korea's and historical areas. c1,900 runners, horses and boats shared in the 15,250 ks long relay.
XXVth Olympiad, 1992: Barcelona In June the flame was lit at the ancient site in Olympia, then journeyed from the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens and was taken to an ancient Greek colony in Spain. The Relay took 43 days, and covered 5,940 ks, by runners and some cyclists.
XXth Olympiad, 1972: Munich In July the flame was lit in Olympia and travelled to Munich. Over the 5,399 ks relay via Austria, runners were joined by cyclists, horse riders and wheelchair athletes.
XXIst Olympiad, 1976: Montreal The flame was passed to 1,200+ torchbearers. It was transferred to a sensor, which transmitted electrical impulses via satellite, lighting the flame by a Canadian laser beam.
XXIInd Olympiad, 1980: Moscow The Torch Relay started in June and lasted 31 days. The 4,915-ks journey followed the route of the 1936 Torch Relay through Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, then the USSR.
XXIIIrd Olympiad, 1984: Los Angeles The flame was lit in a ceremony with Greek officials and the Los Angeles Olympic Organising Committee. The 84 day torch relay left, landing in NY. It passed via 33 states, using 3,636 runners inc Jim Thorpe’s & Jesse Owens’ grandchildren.
XXIVth Olympiad, 1988: Seoul In the Athens ceremony, musicians played traditional Korean music. The flame travelled by plane from Greece to southern Korea, then through all of Korea's and historical areas. c1,900 runners, horses and boats shared in the 15,250 ks long relay.
XXVth Olympiad, 1992: Barcelona In June the flame was lit at the ancient site in Olympia, then journeyed from the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens and was taken to an ancient Greek colony in Spain. The Relay took 43 days, and covered 5,940 ks, by runners and some cyclists.
Thousands of people cheer on the torch
relay runners, London 2012