The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. In Greek mythology, the god Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humans. To celebrate the passing of fire from Prometheus to man, the Greeks would hold relay races. Athletes would pass a lit torch to one another until the winner reached the finish line. The Greeks held their first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. to honore Zeus and other Greek gods. The Olympic Flame from the ancient games was reintroduced during the 1928 Games, and the modern convention of moving the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the Olympic venue began with the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Although most of the time the torch with the Olympic Flame is still carried by runners, it has been transported in many different ways. The fire travelled by boat in 1948 to cross the English Channel, was first transported by airplane in 1952 when the fire travelled to Helsinki and was carried by rowers in Canberra as well as by dragon boat in Hong Kong in 2008. |
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