The Tradition of the Torchbearers at the Olympics: Fire, Connecting Eras When the sacred flame ignites on the main stadium of the Olympic Games, the audience stands still. This flame is not just light. It is a thread stretched through the centuries, from ancient altars in Greece to hyper-modern stadiums. It is a symbol of purity, struggle, peace, and the human spirit. But behind this moment stands a long and amazing history, in which myths, politics, technology, and sincere belief in the power of sport to unite the world are intertwined. Ancient Roots: Fire as a Divine Gift In Ancient Greece, fire was not just an element. It was sacred. The Greeks believed that Prometheus, the Titan, had given the flame to humans, stealing it from Zeus. This myth became the basis for many rituals. In Olympia, at the altars of the temples, the sacred flame burned constantly. Before the ancient Olympic Games, it was lit in the temple of the goddess Hera. The priestesses used a special concave mirror to focus the sun's rays and ignite the flame, which was then brought to Athens. This was a sign of the beginning of a truce, the ekecheiria, declared for the duration of the competitions. There were no torchbearers in the modern sense at that time. The fire simply burned, symbolizing the presence of the gods and the continuity of tradition. But the idea that the flame carries sacred power and connects people with higher powers has remained for centuries. And when Baron Pierre de Coubertin, at the end of the 19th century, thought of reviving the Olympic Games, he dreamed of bringing back this ancient symbol. The Revival of the Flame: Amsterdam-1928 For the first time in the history of the modern Olympic Games, the sacred flame ignited over the stadium in 1928 in Amsterdam. There was no relay at that time. The flame was simply lit in a bowl located on the main arena. The idea belonged to the Dutch architect Jan Wils, who designed this bowl. But like in ancient times, the flame was ob ... Read more