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Who gets to light the Olympic torch?

Author

William Rodriguez

Published Jan 18, 2026

Who gets to light the Olympic cauldron? The final torchbearer, who lights the Olympic cauldron during the Opening Ceremony, is typically a famous athlete, or athletes, from the host country.

Who lights the Olympic torch and when?

Every four years, when Zeus was honoured at the Olympic Games, additional fires were lit at his temple and that of his wife, Hera. The modern Olympic flame is ignited every two years in front of the ruins of the temple of Hera.

Who gets to light the torch at the Olympics?

Athletes, dignitaries and everyday citizens have all had a role in lighting the Olympic Cauldron. Some of the notable athletes who have had the honor of anchoring the torch relay include Wayne Gretzky (2010 Vancouver), Muhammad Ali (1996 Los Angeles) and most recently Naomi Osaka (2020 Tokyo).

Who carried the Olympic torch 2021?

Tennis star Naomi Osaka of Japan had the distinct honour of serving as the final torchbearer of the Olympic Torch Relay, lighting the cauldron inside Olympic Stadium for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 2021. Osaka, 23, is a four-time major champion in tennis who is making her Olympic debut.

Who's lighting the Olympic torch 2022?

China promised an unconventional cauldron lighting to officially begin the 2022 Winter Olympics and delivered. Lighting the flame were Chinese skiers Dinigeer Yilamujiang and Zhao Jiawen, who shared a torch to represent gender equality, and placed it into the center of a large snowflake suspended in air.

40 related questions found

What does the torch lighting symbolize?

“It makes you realise the meaning of the flame and that it is a symbol of the Olympic message of peace, friendship, tolerance and hope.

How does the Olympic torch get lit?

A parabolic mirror and the sun's heat are used to light the awaiting torch (and if the day of the lighting isn't particularly sunny, officials will pull out a backup flame, lit using the same method a day or two earlier).

Does the Olympic flame go out?

In truth, it is relit a few months before each new Olympic Games. Many see the Olympic flame as a symbol of the life and competitive spirit of the Olympic Games. In that sense, one could say that the flame never goes out.

Who will light the Olympic torch 2020?

2 tennis player Naomi Osaka, who represents Japan, served as the final Olympic torchbearer for the Tokyo Olympic Games, lighting the Olympic flame during Friday night's Opening Ceremony.

Why is the Olympic flame so small?

China's Olympic opening ceremony director: We had a small flame on purpose Back to video. The faint flame reflected unity and the original aspiration of human beings, said Zhang Yimou. “The cauldron and the lighting process have surprised many people.

Who lit the Olympic flame?

A group of six Chinese Olympians - each born in different decades starting in the 1950s - brought the flame into the stadium and to its final destination. Chinese athletes Zhao Jiawen and Dinigeer Yilamujiang delivered the flame to the center of the snowflake.

What happens if the Olympic torch goes out?

However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) keeps backup lanterns on hand that were lit from the same flame as the Olympic torch at the original ceremony back in Olympia. The IOC has a protocol in place for relighting an extinguished torch.

What do the 5 circles for the Olympics mean?

Based on a design first created by Pierre de Coubertin, the Olympic rings remain a global representation of the Olympic Movement and its activity. These five rings represent the five parts of the world now won over to the cause of olympism and ready to accept its fecund rivalries.

Where do the Olympic torch lit every year?

A burning flame has been part of the modern Olympics since 1928, but the tradition goes all the way back to the ancient Games in Greece. So the Olympic flame lighting ceremony, which was first incorporated along with the torch relay for the 1936 Berlin Games, is held at the ancient Olympic site of Olympia in Greece.

Why are there 5 Olympic rings instead of 7?

The interlocking rings of the Olympic flag was created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the co-founder of the modern Olympic games. The five rings represented the five participating continents of the time: Africa, Asia, America, Europe, and Oceania.

Which of these color does not represent the color of Olympic rings?

Answer : Orange is color which not seen in the Symbol of the Olympics.

What is the Olympic motto?

The Olympic motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (“Faster, Higher, Stronger”) was coined by Father Henri Didon, who was a close friend of Baron Pierre de Coubertin. It was adopted by the IOC in 1894.

How many times has the Olympic flame went out?

The Olympic cauldron itself has been extinguished by accident once, when a rainstorm hit the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was initially re-lit using a cigarette lighter, before being extinguished again and re-lit using a backup flame.

Who Lit 2012 Olympic flame?

Londoner Thomas Heatherwick designed the concept - and the petals are set to burn throughout the tournament. The Olympic torch was brought to the stadium along the Thames in a speedboat by David Beckham, who then passed it to five-time Olympic gold medallist rower Sir Steve Redgrave.

Who will light the cauldron for Beijing 2022?

Uyghur cross-country skier lights Olympic Cauldron as Beijing 2022 officially opens. Cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang, a Uyghur from the Xinjiang region, was chosen as one of the athletes to light the Olympic Cauldron, designed in the shape of a snowflake as the Winter Olympic Games here were officially opened.

How do they transfer the Olympic flame?

The flame is carried by relay all the way to its final destination in the stadium. Although it is usually carried by runners on foot, other modes of transport are also used. For air transportation, the flame is sheltered in a security lamp, similar to a miner's lamp. At night time, it is kept in a special cauldron.

Where is Olympic flame 2022?

Winter weather appears to have extinguished Olympic flame in Beijing. But organizers say it's just 'fine' BEIJING — A rare snowstorm in Beijing on Sunday brought a distinct winter vibe to the 2022 Winter Olympics.

What does the Olympic flame 2022 look like?

What does the Beijing 2022 torch looks like? The 2022 torch design is reminiscent of the 2008 Summer Games cauldron which was shaped like a giant ribbon. Its spiral construction resembling a floating ribbon echoes its name "Flying". The emblem of Beijing 2022 rests on the central portion of the torch.

Where did 2022 Olympic torch start?

The torch will be carried through the three Olympics zones, starting with downtown Beijing before heading to Yanqing district and finally Zhangjiakou in neighboring Hebei Province. The Beijing Games have already been impacted on a scale similar to that experienced by Tokyo during last year's Summer Olympics.

Who was the final torch bearer?

John Mark was the final torchbearer at the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics, three years after WWII.