Olympic Flame

The flame is lit in ancient Olympia, Greece and is then transported, mostly by foot, to the site where the next Olympics are held. Runners carry the torch with the Olympic Flame for short distance, before handing it over to another runner. This relay ends at the day of the opening ceremony in the central stadium of these Games. The final carrier of the torch, usually a sports celebrity of the host country, will then use the flame start a flame in the stadium, which is kept burning throughout the celebration of the Olympics. It is extinguished at the closing ceremonies.

History

The Olympic Flame first burned at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, although there was no torch relay, and the flame was not lit by any specific person.

By an idea of Carl Diem[?], the torch relay was first held at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Since then, the torch relay and the lighting of the Olympic Flame have been a part of every celebration of the Summer Olympics. The flame for the Winter Olympics was first lighted before the 1952 Winter Olympics. For that occasion, the flame was lit in the house of Sondre Norheim, a Norwegian pioneer of winter sports.

In the 1960 Winter Olympics, John Hench's torch design was introduced, a model used for many years to come.

Lighters

The people that have lit the Olympic Flame are listed below. As the equestrian events in 1956 were held in Stockholm, there were two flames lit in that year.