Olympic flame

The Olympic flame is a special symbol used in the Olympic movement. It helps connect the ancient Olympic Games with the modern ones we see today. The flame is lit in a special ceremony at Olympia, Greece, which begins the Olympic torch relay. This relay carries the flame to the host city.

During the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the flame lights a big cauldron. The flame stays burning in the cauldron for the whole time the Games are happening. Finally, at the Olympic closing ceremony, the flame is put out, marking the end of the Games.

Origins

The Olympic flame first appeared at the Summer Olympic Games in Amsterdam during the 1928 Summer Olympics. It was placed in a large bowl on top of a tower called "Marathon Tower" to show people where the Olympic Games were happening. This idea came from ancient Greek traditions where a special fire burned during celebrations.

In Ancient Greek mythology, fire was very important and was thought to be a gift from the gods. Sacred fires were kept burning at many places in ancient Greece, including Olympia. Every four years, extra fires were lit to honor Zeus and Hera during the ancient Olympic Games. Today, the Olympic flame is lit every two years in front of the ruins of the temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece. The torch relay began at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

Main ceremonies

Lighting of the flame

The Olympic flame is lit weeks or months before the Olympic Games at the main site of the ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece.

A group of women representing the Vestal Virgins perform a celebration at the Temple of Hera, during which a fire is kindled by the light of the Sun, its rays concentrated by a parabolic mirror. The fire is used to light the first torch of the Olympic Torch Relay. 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 by Pindar, and the release of a flock of doves to symbolize peace. 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.

After the ceremony at Olympia the Olympic flame first travels to Greece. It first goes to the Coubertin Grove on the site of the International Olympic Academy, where it is used to light an altar beside the final resting place of Pierre de Coubertin's heart. The flame is then transferred during a ceremony in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens from the Hellenic Olympic Committee to the current year's National Olympic Committee and local Organizing Committee hosts.

The Olympic torch relay, which transports the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece to the various designated sites of the Games, had no ancient precedent and was introduced by Carl Diem at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

The Olympic torch relay in the host country ends with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony in 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

It is not uncommon for the Olympic flame to be accidentally or deliberately extinguished during the course of the torch relay. 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 from one of the backup sources.

The design of some torches has safeguards built into them. There are two flames inside the torch. There is a highly visible portion that burns cooler and is more prone to extinguish, but there is also a smaller hotter flame hidden inside the torch which is protected from wind and rain and is capable of relighting the cooler, more visible portion if it is extinguished.

Selected relays in detail

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

During the opening ceremony the 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.

IOC protocol specifies that the lighting of the Olympic flame must be witnessed by the attendees of the opening ceremony, and should be visible to the residents of the host city.

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. Japanese runner Yoshinori Sakai was born on the day of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He was chosen for the role to symbolize Japan's postwar reconstruction and peace, opening the 1964 Tokyo Games. At the 1976 Games in Montreal, two teenagers — one from the French-speaking part of the country, one from the English-speaking part — symbolized the unity of Canada.

At the 2012 Games in London, the torch was carried by Sir Steve Redgrave to a group of seven young British athletes 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.

Olympic cauldron designs

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

Coinage

The Olympic flame is often used as a design on special coins. For example, in 2002, a coin was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Olympic Games. On one side of the coin, you can see the Olympic flame above the Earth. The coin mainly highlights Finland, the country that hosted the 1952 games.

Commercialization

Before the 2002 Winter Olympics, a professor named Bob Barney helped write a book called Selling the Five Rings. In this book, he talked about how companies support the Olympic Games and get to show their brands on TV. He said that the Olympic torch, which carries the flame, has always been used to help companies get more attention for their brands. But the medal podium ceremonies, where winners stand on a stage, have not been used for advertising because no ads are allowed inside the Olympic venues.