olympic fire

The Olympic flame is one of the main symbols of the Olympic Games. Over the years, it has become a tradition to entrust the honor of passing the last stage of the relay and lighting the fire in the Olympic bowl to any famous sportsman or an athlete with remarkable achievements. It was lit in ancient Greece during the Games as a reminder of the feat Prometheus who stole the fire from Zeus and gave it to people.

Since fire had a divine meaning for the Greeks, it burned in many of the sanctuaries of Olympia. Constantly he was lit on the altar Hestia(goddess of the hearth). During the Olympiads, glorifying Zeus, the lights were also lit in the temples Zeus and Hera.

This tradition was revived in 1928.

An employee of the Amsterdam Electricity Company lit the first Olympic flame in a cauldron Marathon tower Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam and since then this ritual has been an integral part of the modern Olympic Games.

Relay race Olympic flame finishes on the day of the opening ceremony at central stadium Games. Very often, the last torchbearer remains unknown to the spectators until the last moment, and is usually a sports celebrity of the host country. He runs to the Olympic chalice, located at the very top of a large staircase, and lights a fire that burns at the continuation of the Games and is extinguished at the closing ceremony.

The first outstanding athlete who was given the high honor of lighting the Olympic flame was the nine-time Olympic champion Paavo Nurmi, who caused the strongest emotions in the audience at the stadium in Helsinki in 1952.

Among famous athletes who lit the Olympic Cup were the star of French football Michel Platini(1992), heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali(1996), Indigenous Australian (always defended the rights of aborigines and after victories ran out onto the track with two flags) Kathy Freeman(2000) - for her, this Olympics was victorious, hockey player Wayne Gretzky (2010).

In some cases, fire Olympic Stadium lit by people symbolizing the high ideals of olmpism. Yes, a Japanese student Yoshinori Sakai engaged in athletics at the University of Tokyo, born August 6, 1945, the day of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, opening the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, symbolized the rebirth of Japan after World War II.

And in 1976, in Montreal, two teenagers were entrusted to light the bowl (one of them was from the French-speaking part of the country, the other from the English-speaking part), symbolizing the unification of Canada.

The first woman to light the Olympic flame was Mexican national hurdler runner Keta Basilio in 1968 in Mexico City. In 2004, she again took part in the Olympic relay.

The Olympic torch is lit a few months before the start of the Olympic Games. The fire begins its journey in the city where the ancient Olympic Games were held - in Olympia, as well as in Ancient Greece - in the temple Hera.

The actress, dressed as a ceremonial priestess in antique robes, lights the torch in the same way as was done at the Games of Antiquity. It uses a parabolic mirror to focus the sun's rays to a single point, thanks to its curved shape. The energy of the sun creates a large amount of heat that ignites the fuel in the torch when the priestess brings it to the center of the mirror.

If there is no sun on the day of the Olympic flame-lighting ceremony, the priestess may light the torch from the fire lit on the sunny day before the ceremony.

The fire is carried in a pot to the altar in the ancient Olympic Stadium, where it lights the torch of the first runner in the relay. Before the Winter Games, the relay actually starts at the monument Pierre de Coubertin founder of the modern Olympic Games.

olympic game competition tradition

The Olympic flame is one of the symbols of the Olympic Games. The tradition of lighting the Olympic flame existed in ancient Greece during the ancient Olympic Games. It served as a reminder of the feat of the titan Prometheus, who, according to legend, stole fire from Zeus and gave it to people.

Prometheus showed compassion for people and stole fire from the workshop of the divine blacksmith Hephaestus, which he secretly carried out in the reeds. Together with fire, he took from Hephaestus the "wise skill" and taught people to build houses, ships, hew stone, melt and forge metal, write, count.

As the myths say, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to chain Prometheus to the Caucasian rock, pierced his chest with a spear, and a huge eagle flew every morning to peck the titan's liver, which grows again every day. Prometheus was saved by Hercules. Since fire had a divine meaning for the Greeks, it burned in many of the sanctuaries of Olympia. Constantly he was on the altar of Hestia (goddess of the hearth). During the Olympiad, glorifying Zeus, the lights were also lit in the temples of Zeus and Hera.

In 776 BC, athletes began to compete in the ancient Olympic Games. Especially for their opening, the fire was lit and transported to the finish line. The process of delivering the Olympic flame involved maintaining the purity and strength of the natural elements in a continuous state. This was taken care of by 10 Athenian tribes (clan associations), who allocated 40 trained young men for this process. Young people delivered a torch from the altar of Prometheus straight to the Athenian altar. The distance was 2.5 kilometers.

History testifies that in other cities of Hellas there was a cult of Prometheus, and in his honor Prometheus was held - competitions of runners with burning torches.

The figure of this titan remains today one of the most striking images in Greek mythology. The expression "Promethean fire" means striving for high goals in the fight against evil. Didn't the ancients put the same meaning when they lit the Olympic flame in the Altis grove about three thousand years ago?

During the summer solstice, competitors and organizers, pilgrims and fans paid homage to the gods by lighting a fire on the altars of Olympia. The winner of the running competition was honored to light the fire for the sacrifice. In the reflections of this fire, the rivalry of athletes took place, the competition of artists, an agreement on peace was concluded by messengers from cities and peoples.

That is why the tradition of lighting a fire, and later delivering it to the venue of the competition, was renewed.

The modern ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame is performed in Olympia by eleven women, portraying priestesses. The actress, dressed as a ceremonial priestess in antique robes, lights the torch in the same way as was done at the Games of Antiquity. It uses a parabolic mirror to focus the sun's rays to a single point thanks to its curved shape. The energy from the sun creates a large amount of heat that ignites the fuel in the torch when the priestess brings it to the center of the mirror.

The fire is carried in a pot to the altar in the ancient Olympic Stadium, where it lights the torch of the first runner in the relay.

In addition to the main torch, special lamps are also lit from the Olympic flame, designed to store fire in case the main torch (or even the fire at the Games themselves) goes out for one reason or another.

The Olympic flame symbolizes purity, the attempt to improve and the struggle for victory, as well as peace and friendship.

(The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources)

The Olympic flame, one of the main symbols of the Games, serves as a reminder to athletes of the feat of Prometheus, who stole the fire from Zeus and gave it to people. The Olympic torch is invariably lit from the sun at the temple of Zeus in Olympia, delivered to the main arena and does not go out during all the competitions.

The Olympic flame is one of the main symbols of the Games, invariably accompanying the competition from beginning to end since ancient Greece. From year to year, the organizers come up with more and more sophisticated forms of fire transportation, opening and closing ceremonies. Only one thing is stable - the flame illuminating the Olympic rings.

The Olympic flame has become a symbol of ancient competitions in the Peloponnese.

In ancient Greece, fire symbolized purification, rebirth.

The Olympic fire served as a reminder of the feat of the titan Prometheus, who, according to legend, stole fire from Zeus and gave it to people. He ascended to heaven with the help of Athena and raised the torch to the sun. Prometheus brought fire to people, hiding it in a hollow reed stalk, and showed how to keep it, sprinkling it with ashes. But the noble titan did not stop there. Prometheus taught people to find, mine and use earthly treasures - copper and iron, silver and gold. He opened healing herbs to people and breathed into them will, courage, hope, selflessness. Prometheus knew that he was doing this against the will of Zeus, he knew that he was threatened by the wrath of the almighty god. But now he also knew what happiness it was to help the weak and see their enlightened, smiling faces.

For stealing fire, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to nail Prometheus to the Caucasus Range. He was doomed to incessant torment: an eagle flying every day pecked at Prometheus's liver, which grew again. These torments, according to various ancient sources, lasted from several centuries to 30 thousand years, until Hercules killed an eagle with an arrow and freed Prometheus.

The act of Prometheus indicated the qualities that an athlete should possess - purposefulness, courage and courage.

After all, a weak-willed coward will not steal fire from the gods. So in sports - the gold of the Games as a reward for courage. The fire burns from the beginning to the end of the Olympic Games, reminding athletes of the place of heroism in their lives.
In 776 BC, athletes began to compete in the ancient Olympic Games. Especially for their opening, the fire was lit and transported to the finish line. The process of delivering the Olympic flame involved maintaining the purity and strength of the natural elements in a continuous state. This was taken care of by 10 Athenian tribes, who allocated 40 trained young men for this process. These youths delivered a torch from the altar of Prometheus straight to the Athenian altar. The distance was 2.5 kilometers.

During the revival of the idea of ​​holding the Games, the international Olympic movement did not pay enough attention to symbolism.

The initial task of Pierre de Coubertin and his associates was the stable holding of the Olympic Games, so the IOC solved more applied problems.

AT recent history the idea of ​​lighting the Olympic flame from the sun's rays at the temple of Zeus in Olympia (by analogy with the ritual at the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece) and its delivery by a torch relay to the Olympic stadium for the opening ceremony of the Games was expressed by de Coubertin in 1912.

You can light a torch only from the sun (though using a special mirror) - there should not be any artificial sources of fire. Mother nature and the gods themselves must give the go-ahead for holding. In addition to the main torch, special lamps are also lit from the Olympic flame, designed to store fire in case the main torch (or even the fire at the Games themselves) goes out for any reason. For example, in 1976 in Montreal, the fire went out due to a rainstorm.

The first modern Olympic flame was lit at the 1928 Games in Amsterdam.

An employee of the Amsterdam Electricity Company lit the first Olympic flame in the bowl of the Marathon Tower of the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, and since then this ritual has been an integral attribute of the modern Olympic Games.

In 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1994 the Olympic flame of the Winter Games was lit in the Norwegian village of Morgendal in the fireplace of the house where the founder of the Norwegian skiing Sondre Nordheim. Then the surprises began from the organizers, who tried not only to deliver the fire to themselves safe and sound, but to do it in the most memorable way possible.

After the Olympic flame safely reaches the venue of the Games, the relay race begins, during which the torch travels through the expanses of the host country.

The Olympic torch relay was first held during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. More than 3 thousand runners participated in the delivery of the torch from Olympia to Berlin. August 1, 1936 the fire was lit by the German athlete Fritz Schilgen. On the winter olympics the relay was first held in 1952 before the Oslo Games, although the Olympic flame was lit in 1936 and 1948. The first relay did not start in Olympia, but in Morgendal.

The arrival of the Olympic flame in its final home for the duration of all the Games, where it is handed over to the last (and most important) torchbearer, and he already solemnly opens the Olympics.

As a rule, the honor to light a fire is trusted famous person, most often an athlete.

The organizers are trying to keep the scenario of this last stage, as well as the name of the hero, a secret until the last, in order to make the spectacle as exciting as possible.

On October 7 this year, the torch of the Sochi Olympics will be delivered to Moscow, and the largest relay race in history will begin. The fire will visit all regions of the country, rise to Elbrus, sink to the bottom of Lake Baikal, reach the North Pole and, as expected, even fly into space. In 123 days, the Olympic flame will pass through 2900 settlements of the country. According to calculations, 90% of the Russian population will be within an hour's reach from the relay route, thus, about 130 million people in our country will be able to become direct spectators and participants in the relay. The relay will be attended by 14,000 torchbearers and 30,000 volunteers.

The tradition of lighting the Olympic flame existed in ancient Greece during the ancient Olympic Games. The Olympic flame served as a reminder of the feat of Prometheus, who, according to legend, stole fire from Zeus and gave it to people.

The tradition was revived in 1928 and is still preserved. During the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, the Olympic torch relay was held for the first time. More than 3000 runners participated in the delivery of the torch from Olympia to Berlin.

At the Winter Olympics, the fire was lit in 1936 and in 1948, but the relay was first held in 1952 before the Olympic Games in Oslo, however, it did not originate in Olympia, but in Morgendal.

Usually, a famous person, most often an athlete, is trusted to light the fire, although there are exceptions. It is considered a great honor to be chosen to host this ceremony.

Relay race

Currently, the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia (Greece), a few months before the opening of the games. Eleven women, mostly actresses posing as priestesses, perform a ceremony in which one of them lights a fire using a parabolic mirror to focus the sun's rays. Then this fire is delivered to the city hosting the Olympic Games.

Usually, a torch is used, which is carried by runners, betraying it to each other in a relay race, but other methods of transportation have been used at different times.

Surprises have already begun 1952. The organizers of the Winter Games decided to abandon the traditional idea of ​​lighting the Olympic flame. The source of the fire was a fireplace in the house-museum of Norwegian skiing pioneer Sandre Norheim. The entire relay race was done on skis. In the same year the fire Summer Olympics in Helsinki part of the way (from Greece to Switzerland) flew by plane. Also, in Finland, it was mixed with flames lit from the non-setting polar Sun.

AT 1964 The Olympic torch relay was very short. The fire was delivered by plane from Athens to Vienna, and from there Innsbruck.

The torch relay of the Olympics in Mexico City repeated for the most part the journey of Christopher Columbus.

AT 1976 in order to move from America to Europe, part of the flame energy was converted into a laser beam, which was sent via satellite to Ottawa, where the relay race continued.

AT 1992 the fire was lit by a burning arrow fired from a bow by Paralympian Antonio Robollo.

AT 2000 in Sydney, the Olympic flame even managed to stay under water for about three minutes.

Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony

The relay race ends at the central stadium of the capital of the Games, at the end of their opening ceremony. The last participant in the relay lights a fire in a bowl installed in the stadium, where it continues to burn until the end of the games.

The organizers of the games are trying to come up with an original way to light the fire in the Olympic bowl and make this event memorable. The details of the ceremony are kept secret until the very last moment. Who will be instructed to light the fire is usually also not reported in advance. As a rule, this is entrusted to a well-known athlete of the host country of the Olympics.

Methods for transporting the Olympic flame since 1952

In 1952 on Winter Games in Oslo the fire was brought on skis.

In 1952, at the Summer Games in Helsinki - by plane.

In 1956, at the Summer Games in Stockholm - on horseback.

In 1968, at the Summer Games in Mexico City - on a ship, boat, water skiing.

In 1972, at the Summer Games in Munich - on a motorcycle.

In 1976, at the Summer Games in Montreal - using a laser beam.

In 1984, at the Summer Games in Los Angeles - by helicopter.

In 1988 at the Winter Games in Calgary - on a snowmobile.

In 1992 at the Winter Games in Albertville - Concorde supersonic aircraft.

In 1992, at the Summer Games in Barcelona - on the frigate Cataluna.

In 1994 at the Winter Games in Lillehammer - on a reindeer team, on a parachute, in a wheelchair.

In 1996 at the Atlanta Summer Games - by canoe, pony express, steamboat, train (LOI)

In 2002 at the Winter Games in Salt Lake City- by dog ​​sled, horse-drawn sleigh, snowmobile.

In 2006, at the Winter Games in Turin - in a Formula 1 car of the Ferrari team, on a Venetian gondola.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Invariable part of the Olympic Games - olympic fire- which has been used since ancient times. According to tradition, the fire is lit in the Greek city of Olympia from the sun's rays. After that, the torch is delivered to its destination by relay method, and on the day when the fire reaches the city, the grand opening of the Olympic Games begins. A large fire is lit, which continues to burn until the solemn closing ceremony ...

EsSochi 2014 Olympic torch tafeta will be the largest in history Olympic movement, breaking all records for duration (123 days) and length (65,000 km). Moreover, according to the statement of the President of the ANO Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee Dmitry Nikolaevich Chernyshenko, The fire will not only be carried through the whole of Russia - it will visit the bottom of Lake Baikal, as well as on the top of Elbrus, at the North Pole and even in space.

Lighting a fire for winter Olympic Games in Sochi will take place a week before the start of the relay, September 29, 2013 on the territory of Greece Ancient Olympia.

In ancient Greece, fire symbolized purification, rebirth. It was a gift from Prometheus to people. Recall that Prometheus stole it from Zeus, for which he was severely punished.

Relay transmission of fire also went from ancient Greek times. Each city of Ancient Greece was equipped with an altar with fire, which did not go out for a moment.
In 776 BC, athletes began to compete in the ancient Olympic Games. Especially for their opening, the fire was lit and transported to the finish line.

The process of delivering the Olympic flame meant maintaining the purity and strength of the natural elements in a stable state. This was taken care of by 10 Athenian tribes, who allocated 40 trained young men for this process. These youths delivered a torch from the altar of Prometheus straight to the Athenian altar. The distance was 2.5 kilometers.

The modern torch relay dates back to 1936, when the Olympic Games were held in Berlin. The first athlete to start a relay in the modern era was the representative of Greece, Konstantinos Kondylis. And the first fire at the stadium was lit by the German Fritz Schilgen. Since 1960, the transmission of the Olympic flame has been broadcast on television.

Lighting the Olympic Flame - 2012

The tradition of lighting the Olympic flame existed in ancient Greece during the ancient Olympic Games. The Olympic flame served as a reminder of the feat of the titan Prometheus, who, according to legend, stole fire from Zeus and gave it to people. The tradition was revived in 1936 and continues to this day.

1936: The Olympic Flame was lit from the sun's rays using a concave mirror in Olympia, Greece, and carried to Berlin by over 3,000 runners. German athlete Fritz Schilgen lit the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony of the XI Olympic Games in a stadium decorated with swastika banners.

1948: The Olympic torch at the end of its transfer on the bridge over the Thames at Windsor towards the Empire Stadium (Wembley Stadium) for the opening of the London Olympic Games.

1948: British athlete John Mark delivers the Olympic torch to the Empire Stadium at Wembley and inaugurates the 1948 Olympic Games by lighting the symbolic flame.

1952: Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi lights the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony Summer Games at the stadium in Helsinki.

1956: Australian athlete Ron Clarke, junior mile champion, delivers the Olympic torch to the stadium at the Melbourne Olympics. The torch-passing ceremony was disrupted during the conflict when a student named Barry Larkin successfully handed a fake torch made from underpants attached to a chair leg to the mayor of Sydney.

1956: Italian speed skater Guido Caroli falls while delivering the Olympic torch at the opening ceremony of the 7th Olympic Winter Games in Cortina, Italy. Karoli stumbled over the microphone wires laid on the ice field, but did not let go of the torch.

1960: Italian student Giancarlo Peris holding a torch after lighting the Olympic flame in Rome at the opening of the 17th Modern Olympic Games.

Rome hosted the first commercially broadcast Summer Olympics, which was also the first major doping scandal, when Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen collapsed during a race under the influence of Roniacol and died the same day. day.

1964: Yoshinori Sakai, a student born in Hiroshima on the day of the first atomic bomb that destroyed that city, carries a torch up the stairs to light a fire in a bowl at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Summer Olympics.

1968: The "High Priestess" raises the Olympic torch high in the ancient Greek city of Olympia, from where it will be carried to Mexico City.

1968: Mexican hurdler Enriqueta Basilio became the first woman to light the fire in the Olympic bowl at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Mexico City.

1973: National flags around the Olympic flame in Munich are flown at half mast in memory of 11 Israeli athletes who were victims of Arab terrorists.

1976: Stéphane Préfontaine and Sandra Henderson light the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Montreal.

1980: The Olympic Flame rises over Lenin in front of the Lenin Stadium at the Moscow Olympic Games.

1984: Gina Hemphill, granddaughter of Jesse Owens, delivers the Olympic torch to the Coliseum in Los Angeles.

1988: Torchbearers greet the crowd after lighting the Olympic flame in the bowl at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.

1992: Archer aims fire arrow on the Olympic cauldron at the stadium on Mount Montjuic at the official opening ceremony of the Barcelona Summer Games.

1994: A ski jumper prepares to descend with the Olympic torch in hand at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

1996: Former champion heavyweight boxer and gold medal winner at the 1960 Olympics Mohammed Ali lights a fire at the Olympic Stadium in Atlanta at the opening ceremony of the Games.

2000: Wendy Craig-Duncan, a marine biologist, on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, delivers the Sydney Olympic torch underwater.

2000: Torchbearer Cathy Freeman lights the flame in the Olympic chalice at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics.

2002: The 1980 U.S. Olympic team cheers after the lighting of the Olympian flame at the opening ethtvjybb of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

2004: Actress Thalia Prokopiou, dressed as a high priestess, lights a torch from the Odymnia fire, obtained from the sun's rays with the help of a parabolic mirror, in an ancient sanctuary, where in 776 BC. the first Olympic Games took place.

Greek sailor Nicolaos Kakalamanakis lights the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

2008: A demonstrator tries to snatch the Olympic torch from broadcaster and torchbearer Konnie Huq during the torch delivery stage in London. Demonstrations to protest human rights violations in China and actions in Tibet took place along the route of the delivery of the Olympic flame.

2008: Gymnast Li Ning delivers the Olympic torch at the opening ceremony of the Games on National Stadium in Pekin.

A high priestess with a lit Olympic torch and an olive branch, during the dress rehearsal of the Olympic flame lighting ceremony, which took place on May 9, 2012 in ancient Olympia, Greece.

The Olympic flame is passed to Spyros Yianniotis, a 32-year-old Liverpool-born swimmer who won a silver medal in Greece during the competition at open water that took place four years ago in Beijing.

Spyros Yianniotis, world champion swimmer, carries the Olympic torch during the dress rehearsal for the Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony ahead of the London 2012 Summer Olympics held on May 9, 2012 in ancient Olympia, Greece.

First torchbearer Spyros Gianniotis, world champion swimmer (pictured left) passes the Olympic flame to British boxer Alexandros Loukas on May 10, 2012.

The Olympic Flame of the 2012 London Summer Olympics lit at Ancient Olympia on May 9, 2012.