Torch Relays in Antiquity

Fire has been a sacred symbol ever since prehistoric times. In classical Greece it was the symbol of the god Hephaestus. It represented the creation of the world, renewal, Light. Prometheus stole fire from Zeus for the benefit of human beings.

Every city state had an altar permanently lighted with fire and the sacred flame burned in every home, dedicated to the goddess Hestia, protector of the family. Torch relays in classical Greece started as nocturnal religious ceremonies, but soon turned into a collective sport. Originally the runnerwere exclusively adolescents. Eventually the Torch Relay evolved into one of the more popular disciplines.

There was an altar of Hestia at the Prytaneum in Ancient Olympia that was always lighted with the sacred flame of the sun rays with the aid of a concave mirror. The procedure was simple, but impressive: it depended on the property of the concave mirror to concentrate and as it were trap the sunrays at the focal point. The high priestess then lit the torch simply by touching it to the mirror¡¯s focal point.

At the classical Olympic Games, which began in 776 BC, an undying flame burned at the sanctuary in Olympia sanctuary. In classical Athens, the torch relay was an important element of the Panathenaea, a celebration every four years in honour of the goddess Athena. The procession started at the altar of Prometheus and ended at the altar of Athena one the Acropolis, covering a distance of 2.5 km in the hands of forty adolescents from all ten of the tribes of Athens. The torch relay ensured that the sacred flame was transported swiftly, thus maintaining its power and purity.

The Torch Relay at the Paralympic Games

The Torch Relay as the opening event of the celebrations was revived at the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games. Ever since, the lighting of the Paralympic Flame and the Paralympic Torch Relay as we know them today have become an institution. From now on the Flame was to be the signal for the starting of the Games, with which indeed it was identified.

At the Paralympic Games that followed Seoul, the Torch Relay has become a more and more powerful institution, incorporating typical cultural elements of the host country. The choice of athlete to light the altar in the Olympic Stadium has its own symbolism for the country organising the Games.

At Barcelona in 1992, the Paralympic Games shared the same Flame as the Olympic Games.

The Torch Relay flame at Atlanta 1996 came from the undying flame at the Martin Luther King monument. The then President of the United States, Bill Clinton, passed the flame to the first torchbearer at the White House.

At Sydney in 2000 the flame was transported by plane to all Australian state capitals, but special emphasis was given to the city of Sydney and the surrounding areas, since this was the main target area for ticket sales.

(www.athens2004.com)