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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 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.
Anna Booth was the Australian who chaired the 2000 Summer Olympics torch relay committee and she brought the torch to Australian soil on 8 June. [4] The first Australian torch-bearer was Sophie Gosper in May, the daughter of International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice-President Kevan Gosper.
The 2002 Winter Olympics torch relay was a 65-day run, from December 4, 2001, until February 8, 2002, prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics. [1] The runners carried the Olympic Flame throughout the United States – following its lighting in Olympia, Greece, to the opening ceremony of the 2002 games at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The torch covered a distance of 18,000 kilometres (11,000 mi), the greatest distance for a torch relay in Olympic history until the 2000 Sydney Games, and a sharp contrast to the 1976 Montreal Games when the relay covered only 775 kilometres (482 mi). [7] Map of torch relay, starting from St. John's in the East. (Key: land, air.)
Olympic torchbearer. The rapper will carry the torch as part of the Games' opening ceremony Friday, a Paris-adjacent mayor announces. Snoop Dogg to blaze it up in Paris as a torchbearer for 2024 ...
The 1996 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from April 27 to July 19, leading up to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. [1] The route covered 26,875 kilometers (16,699 mi) across the United States and featured a wide variety in the methods of transport used, including bicycles, boats, and trains. [2]
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.