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History of the Olympic Torch Relay |
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Written by Chris Wray
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Tuesday, 02 February 2010 |
Although the modern Olympics began in 1896 it was not for another 40 years that the torch relay was born; the Olympic flame had first appeared at the Amsterdam Olympics of 1928 but was lit in the stadium. Many people believe that the relay reflects an ancient Greek tradition, but in fact it was a pure invention. The first relay was a genuine foot relay from Olympia to Berlin, the torch being carried by local athletes from each country it passed through on the way. The torch was a magnesium flare designed to burn for a maximum of 10 minutes, twice the time each athlete was allowed for his 1km distance plus a margin to spare in case he had to run a double distance. The torch was carried day and night by a team of 3.381 runners covering a total distance of 3,187km.The flare was placed in a steel handle or holder which had a saucer shaped top to prevent the burning magnesium falling onto the hand of the runner. The relay was completed in just 12 days - which averages at 5 minutes 24 seconds per km. A fantastic achievement given the rough terrain the journey followed through Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Germany.
Following World War II, the games were next held in London and as the torch relay had been a huge success it was repeated, although the torch was carried on board ship for parts of the journey and the torch relay became an Olympic tradition. The design of the torches and the number used has varied wildly, many Olympics have re-used torches rather than giving each runner a new one and as a result some are fantastically rare - one of only 22 torches from the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki was recently sold for $185,000.
The torches for the Summer Olympic Games originally followed a similar design to the 1936 holder, although now the flame came from a different source, such as a solid fuel tablet and the torch had become the carrier of the flame and no longer a handle to protect the runner from a flare. When a torch relay was introduced to the Winter Olympics in Oslo in 1952 the flame was kindled in Øvrebø, Norway - the birthplace of Sondre Norheim, known as the father of Telemark skiing and the torch moved from a functional object to an artistic statement and ever since the design of the Winter Olympic torches has been more varied and dramatic than their summer equivalents. 1994 saw one of the most dramatic climaxes to a torch relay when Stein Gruben ski-jumped the torch into the Olympic stadium in Lillehammer, Norway, the torch specially designed to be aerodynamic
Vancouver 2010 will be the 33rd Olympic torch relay, the torch was designed and manufactured by Bombardier in collaboration with the Vancouver Organizing Committee. The 12,000 runners who will carry the flame are taking part in one of the longest torch relays in Olympic history as it crosses Canada for a total distance of 45,000km. This is likely to remain a record as in March 2009 the International Olympic Committee ruled that future torch relays will take place within the host country. By tradition the identity of the final torch-bearer is a closely guarded secret that we will only know when they collect the flame from the previous runner and make their way to the Olympic cauldron to light the flame and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games begin.
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