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Cote D'Ivoire's very own Didier Drogba carries the Olympic flame in Swindon, UK (May 23, 2012)
Ever wondered why the hype about the Olympic Torch Relay and what the flame really means anyway? I once did too. So here goes our "très bref " history lesson about the Olympic Flame. The Olympic Flame, Torch and Relay draw on a history going back to the ancient Olympic Games in Greece. The Torch and Relay represent important elements of the cultural festivals surrounding the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece, during which a sacred flame burned continually on the altar of the goddess, Hera. Before the Games begin each Olympic year, a very precise ritual for the lighting of the Flame occurs. It is lit from the sun's rays at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, in a traditional ceremony among the ruins of the home of the ancient Games. After a short relay around Greece, the Flame is handed over to the new Host City at another ceremony in the Panathenaiko stadium in Athens. Once delivered to the Host Country, the torch is transferred from one Torchbearer to another, spreading the message of peace, unity and friendship. It ends its journey as the last Torchbearer lights the cauldron at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in the host country's Olympic Stadium, marking the official start of the Games. The Flame is extinguished on the final day of the Games, at the Closing Ceremony. Some of Africa's prominent athletes, Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast and Haile Gebrelassie of Ethiopia were part of the Olympic Torch relay this summer.
Will. i. am carries the Olympic Torch in Taunton, UK (May, 21, 2012).
Ino Menegaki (actress), plays the role of the high priestess as she lights the 2012
Olympic flame at the temple of Hera in Greece, (May 10,2012).
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(Photos courtesy of http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)
so that flame in the toch never goes off all the time the different athletes carry it?
ReplyDeleteand then a logistics issue: across bodies of water does it travel by sea or by air?
am just wondering.
That is a valid burning question. Your answer:
DeleteThe torch travels by air and is kept in a lantern, which has been allowed to go on a plane.it is assigned two seats to itself, accompanied by a police officer who has been trained in firefighting. A gas mixture of two-thirds propane and one-third butane keeps the flame burning all day, all night.
And how the flame is passed from one torchbearer to the next? One torchbearer will put their torch near that of the next torchbearer, and the fuel in each torch will allow the flame to pass from one to the other (see pic of Haile Gebrelassie passing the torch above). I hope this helps.
how awesome for Didier to have been one of the torchbearers! Way to go, lighting the path for more africans to follow..
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved the picture of the women in Greece in the white gowns, just breathtaking. Drogba looks amazing and just to see him with that honor made me proud. Awesome insight
ReplyDelete