Torch |
Details |
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1952
Oslo
For the Oslo Games, the Olympic flame was not lit in
Olympia but in the hearth of the cabin belonging to Sondre
Norheim, the Norwegian skiing pioneer, in Morgedal in
the province of Telemark. This torch had been designed
with a large oval surround on which were engraved the
Olympic rings, the year 1952 and an arrow going from
the names of Morgedal to Oslo. The second to last relay
runner was the famous Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi, then
55 years old, who handed it over to the equally celebrated
Finnish runner and Olympic medallist Hans Kohlemainen,
then 62, who lit the altar with the Flame. |
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1956
Cortina d'Ampezzo
For these Games, the torch was lit at the Capitole, one
of Rome's seven hills, in the temple of Jupiter, by Giuseppe
Dordini, Olympic 50km walking champion. |
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1960
Squaw Valley
As was the case at the 1952 Oslo Games, the fire for
the Squaw Valley Games was lit in the hearth of the hut
belonging to Sondre Norheim (the Norwegian pioneer of
skiing), in Morgedal in the province of Telemark. This
torch was made in the same style as the 1948 London and
1956 Melbourne torches. |
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1964
Innsbruck
Whilst Josef Rieder, world slalom champion in 1958, was
lighting the Olympic cauldron, another flame was also
being lit opposite the ice stadium. |
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1968
Grenoble
It was made from bronzed steel and had a protective covering
for the flame. |
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1972
Saporro
The torch was designed by Munemichi Yanagi to match the
cauldron. It is made of a light alloy, comprising mainly
aluminium. |
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1976
Innsbruck
Two cauldrons were lit to symbolize the Winter Games
being held twice in Innsbruck (1964 and 1976). |
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1980
Lake Placid
For participation, Lake Placid decided to select a small
group of torchbearers representing all parts of the United
States. Thus, one from every state was chosen. For historical
relevance, the route in the U.S. began near the site
of the first English-speaking settlement in the New World
and followed pre-Revolutionary-era travel corridors through
sites of great significance in American history. The
route also passed through the major cities of the Eastern
U.S., including the nation's capital and the media centres
of Philadelphia and New York City. This enhanced the
publicity of the relay and also exposed the Olympic Flame
directly to a potential audience of more than 12 million
people. |
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1984
Sarajevo
It
was composed of a combustion tube bearing the Games
emblem in red and a small platform with the inscription "Sarajevo
84". The route of the Olympic flame was so
devised that it crossed the entire country with
the aim of thus promoting the Olympic ideal of
coexistence. The flame therefore followed two routes:
one through the east and one through the west which
meant that it passed through all the country’s
regions. |
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1988
Calgary
The
torch had the caption: "Citius Altius Fortius" and "XV
Olympic Winter Games Calgary Alberta Canada 1988" with
the Games emblem. The design of the handle symbolises
the Calgary Tower. A laser engraved the pictograms. |
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1992
Albertville
A French designer with an international reputation, Philippe
Starck, was responsible for the design of the torch;
this was a first in the history of the Olympic Games.
Made in stainless steel, the torch had to be a rare object
of value. |
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1994
Lillehammer
As for the 1952 Oslo and 1960 Squaw Valley Games, a flame
for the Lillehammer Games was lit in Morgedal, the birthplace
of Scandinavian skiing, by rubbing together pieces of
wood as in ancient times. It was planned that this Nordic
flame should unite with the genuine Olympic Flame which
started in Olympia on 16 January 1994, in Oslo on 5 February.
Due to Greek opposition against a mixing of the traditional
Olympic Flame with the modern symbolic winter-sports
flame from Morgedal, this plan was dropped. The flame
from Olympia made its way up to Oslo mainly by plane,
starting in Athens. From Frankfurt it was brought to
Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and then to Dusseldorf and Cologne.
From there the flame reached Oslo via Hamburg, Copenhagen
and Stockholm. In Oslo both flames ignited a bonfire
before the genuine Olympic Flame started for Lillehammer.
The relay was completed in a most impressive way by a
torch-bearing ski jumper rushing down from the Lysgardsbakkene
into the Olympic Arena. For the Lillehammer Organizing
Committee and the Norvegians, the torch relay from Morgedal
to Lillehammer seems to have been the main event. It
covered a distance of 12.000km, reaching 800 places.
The ceremonies were started with a peace message. |
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1998
Nagano
The
inspiration for its lines comes from the traditional
Japanese torch. The body's hexagonal form symbolises
snow crystals with the silver colour evoking a
snow scene. The stem bears the inscription "The
XVIII Olympic Winter Games, Nagano 1998". |
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2002
Salt Lake
The
torch is made of the following key elements: lightweight
glass (symbolising winter and ice); old silver
(the West, flowing water); very shiny silver (the
heart, the speed of the athletes) and copper (fire,
passion, the history of Utah). It was designed
in the shape of a stalactite to symbolise winter
sports and the theme chosen for these Games "Light
the Fire Within". The silver grooves of the
torch are evocative of the texture of pure ice.
For the first time, the Olympic flame was made
to spring up through a frosted glass orifice, thus
symbolising the flame which burned within each
one of the runners. |
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2006
Torino
The
style concept behind the design is innovative:
it is a modern reinterpretation of the traditional
torch made of wood. The flame envelopes the body
of the torch, instead of coming out of a hole on
top as had been the case in the past. The flame
of each torch, which burned for 15 minutes, was
not to be higher than 10 centimeters. As for the
materials used, the outside shell is made of aluminum;
the inside fittings are of steel, copper and techno-polymers
and for the surface finish, a special paint is
used that is resistant to high temperatures. |
