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John Millen

Only 424 days to go

A

Lighting the torch

The ancient Greeks believed that fire had come down from the gods on Mount Olympus and it had to be treated with honour and respect like the gods themselves. The hero Prometheus had stolen the first fire from Zeus, the king of the gods, and had brought it to Earth to give to the human race. During the ancient Olympic Games, a fire burned all the time on a special alter in honour of Zeus and his wife, Hera. Fire made its first appearance at the modern Olympics in Amsterdam in 1928. The architect of the Olympic stadium in Amsterdam came up with the idea of lighting a symbolic fire at the top of the tower at one end of the stadium and his idea was met with great enthusiasm by the Games' organisers. An Olympic flame that burns from the opening ceremony to the closing of the Games has been part of every Olympiad since the Amsterdam Games in 1928.

1. Who stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind?

2. Who was the wife of Zeus, the king of the ancient Greek gods?

3. At which Olympic Games did the Olympic flame make its first appearance?

B

The Olympic torch

A torch of fire made its first appearance at the Berlin Olympics in 1936. One of the officials organising the Games had the idea of a relay race from Greece to Germany with the runners carrying a torch that would light the Olympic flame in the stadium in Berlin. Today the Olympic torch is lit several months before the opening ceremony of each Olympiad at the site of the ancient Olympics in Greece. Eleven women, representing ancient Greek priestesses, light a torch from the rays of the sun. The torch is then carried to the Olympics host city by a team of runners. The torch relay ends in the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony. The identity of the final torch carrier is often kept secret until he or she actually appears in the stadium carrying the torch on its last leg. It is a great honour to be chosen as the final torch bearer. To tumultuous cheering, the last runner usually runs up a high staircase and lights the Olympic flame that will burn continuously during the Olympic Games.

4. When was the Olympic Torch introduced as part of the modern Olympics?

5. Where is the Olympic Torch always lit?

6. How does the torch get to the host city?

C

More facts about the Olympic flame

Did you know that ..........

1. At the 1992 Barcelona Games, the Olympic flame was lit in a very unusual and risky way. An archer shot a burning arrow into the fire cauldron from the far end of the stadium.

2. In 2004 to get from Olympia to Athens, the Olympic torch travelled all around the world. It covered more than 78,000 kilometres to get from one place to another in Greece.

3. In 2000, the torch was carried under the sea on its way to Sydney.

4. On its way round the world in 2004, the torch visited all previous Olympic cities.

5. At the 1976 Montreal Games, a rainstorm put out the Olympic flame. It was relit using a cigarette lighter, but later another official lit the fire again using a back-up flame from Greece.

6. Cathy Freeman walked across water to ignite the 2000 Sydney Olympic flame.

7. In Atlanta in 1996, a line of fire travelled up a rope to light the Olympic flame.

8. The Olympic torch for the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be lit in Greece on Wednesday March 26 next year.

D

My Olympic fact file

1. (Three hundred/ Three thousand) runners carried the torch from Greece to Berlin for the 1936 Olympics.

2. The Olympic flame was first used at the 1928 (Berlin / Amsterdam) Games.

3. The Olympic torch relay was run for the first time from Greece to (Sydney / Berlin) in 1936.

4. The Olympic torch is lit from (the rays of the sun / a fire at the temple of Zeus).

5. A burning arrow lit the Olympic flame at the (Barcelona / London) 1992 Games.

6. In 2004, the Olympic torch did its first (global / underwater) journey.

7. The Olympic torch for the Beijing Games will be lit on (April 17 / March 26) 2008.

8. The Olympic flame was once relit with a (firework / cigarette lighter).

Answers

1. Prometheus 2. Hera 3. Amsterdam 1928 4. Berlin 1936 5. at the site of the ancient Olympics 6. it is carried by a team of relay runners; 1. Three thousand 2. Amsterdam 3. Berlin 4. the rays of the sun 5. Barcelona 6. global 7. March 26 8. cigarette lighter



The Beijing 2008 Olympics Games