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The first well-known major athlete to light the cauldron was nine-time Olympic champion Paavo Nurmi at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Other famous final torch bearers include 1960 decathlon gold medallist Rafer Johnson, who became the first person of African descent to light the cauldron at the 1984 Summer Olympics, [1] French football star Michel Platini (), heavyweight boxing champion ...
The design of the Olympic and torch reflected three famed areas of Australian culture: the boomerang, the Sydney Opera House, and the waters of the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. The concept also reflected the elements of earth, fire, and water. Robert Jurgens G.A. & L Harrington Pty Ltd. 72 1,000 13,000 (est.) [16] 2004: Athens, Greece
The 1968 Summer Olympics torch relay took part as part of the build-up to the 1968 Summer Olympics hosted in Mexico City, Mexico. The Olympic flame was lit in Olympia, Greece, and retraced the steps of Christopher Columbus, discoverer of the New World. This theme celebrated the link between Latin-American and Mediterranean civilizations.
The Olympic torch relay is the ceremonial relaying of the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, to the site of an Olympic Games. It was introduced at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as a way for Adolf Hitler to highlight the Nazi claim of Aryan connections of Germany to Greece. [1] It has taken place prior to every Games since.
Olympic Torch Bearer Siegfried Eifrig (6 February 1910 – 23 June 2008) was a German track and field athlete who ran the last leg of the inaugural Olympic Torch rally in the 1936 Summer Olympics .
The route of the torch relay was announced on July 23, 1995, in a televised special on NBC hosted by Bob Costas and ACOG president Billy Payne. It was the longest Olympic torch relay route that had been staged up to that time, covering a distance of 15,000 miles (24,000 km), visiting 42 of the 50 states, and lasting for 84 days.
The 1984 torch relay was the first to last longer than two months, the first to be substantially funded by corporate sponsorships, and the first to visit all the major cities of the host country rather than traveling directly to the host city. This model has been followed by most Olympic torch relays that have occurred since.
Notable torch bearers include: Vanderlei de Lima: de Lima had been selected as the final torch bearer and the one who lit the cauldron after Pelé declined due to illness. de Lima had been attacked during his marathon run at the 2004 Olympics, when he was leading, making him a leading choice for the honor of last flame bearer. [4]