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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 ]
Pages in category "Olympic cauldron lighters" The following 54 pages are in this category, out of 54 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. *
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.)
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.
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 ]
A torch from the relay at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. The torch was designed by Disney artist John Hench , who modeled it after the torches used in 1948 and 1956. The International Olympic Committee credits Ralph Lavers , who created the 1948 torch, as co-designing the 1960 torch with Hench. [ 4 ]
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 .