Olympic Flame

The Olympic Flame or Olympic Fire is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, when a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the Olympics in 1928, and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since. The modern torch relay was introduced by Adolf Hitler, at the Berlin Games of 1936, as part of an effort to turn the games into a glorification of the Third Reich http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/14/sports/olympics/14torch.html?ex=1125028800&en=b03a2ced37ef6137&ei=5070. But despite its Nazi origin, the torch ceremony is still practiced as of 2005.

Cauldron

The cauldron itself, as well as the pedestal it sits on, are always the subject of unique and often dramatic design. These also tie in with how the cauldron is lit during the Opening Ceremony. In Barcelona in 1992, an archer shot a flaming arrow immediately over the cauldron to light it. In Atlanta in 1996, the cauldron was an artistic scroll decorated in red and gold. At the 1996 Summer Paralympics, the scroll was lit by a paraplegic climber hoisting himself up a rope to the cauldron.

Related Topics:
Archer - Scroll - 1996 Summer Paralympics - Paraplegic - Climber

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