1996 Atlanta Olympics official, original torch- Rare! On the wooden handle is an engraved list of Summer Games from 1896 to 1996, in reference to the centenary of the Olympic Games. The torch was inspired by simple ancient torches of bound reeds and the lines of classical Greek architecture. Its 22 aluminum ?reeds? were representative of the total number of modern Olympic Games editions. The center grip is made of Georgia pecan wood and there are two wide gold bands, one with the names of all Olympic Games host cities, and the other with the emblem of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and the Quilt of Leaves motif.
Silver, gold, brown in color. After the flame-lighting ceremony in Olympia and its relay across Greece, the flame arrived in Athens on April 6th. To mark the Centennial of the Games, a special celebration was organized in the Panathenaic Stadium. Representatives of the 17 cities that had hosted the Summer Games before Atlanta were present. Each of them received a safety lamp, whose flame was lit from a main torch. During the next 21 days, these flames were celebrated in each of the former host cities, while the main flame burned in Athens. These flames were extinguished when the main flame left Athens to fly to Los Angeles.
On April 27th, the flame arrived in Los Angeles. The relay on American soil began at the Memorial Coliseum, the Stadium that hosted the Los Angeles Games in 1932 and 1984. The first torchbearer was Olympian Rafer Johnson, the last torchbearer of the 1984 Games. The relay notably passed through St. Louis, host city of the Olympic Games in 1904.
On 19 July, the flame reached the city of Atlanta. In order to honor the origins of the modern Olympic Games, Evander Holyfield, originally from Atlanta, shared the torch with Greek athlete Voula Patoulidou for part of the leg in the Stadium during the Opening Ceremony. Swimmer Janet Evans took over the relay, doing a lap of the track before heading for a long ramp located at the top of the extreme north of the Stadium. She passed the torch to Muhammad Ali, who had the honor of lighting the cauldron. Start date: March 30 1996, Olympia (Greece). End date: July 19, 1996, Olympic Stadium, Atlanta (United States).
First torchbearer: Konstantinos ?Kostas? Koukodimos, Olympic participant in athletics (1992, 1996, 2000).
Last torchbearers: Muhammad Ali, Olympic participant under the name of Cassius Clay in boxing (1960), gold medalist in Rome 1960.
Number of torchbearers: ~800 in Greece, 12,467 in the United States.
Recruitment of torchbearers: To be able to carry the torch, torchbearers had to be aged 12 or over on April 17, 1996. The torchbearer categories included community heroes, Olympic athletes, Olympic Movement members and members of the Share the Spirit national and international selection program run by Coca-Cola.
To be considered as a community hero, individuals could either nominate themselves or be proposed by others. As part of the application process, an essay of 100 words or fewer describing the qualities of the nominated person was required. The Organizing Committee?s main criteria for defining a community hero included notable work as a volunteer, service as a community leader, role model or mentor, acts of generosity or kindness and extraordinary feats or accomplishments. Approximately 40,000 candidatures were received, from which 5,500 community heroes were chosen. This actual torch was carried by a local resident of Los Angeles who was involved with the Olympics committee for several years. This torch was part of the late Barry Levy's sports memorabilia collection. Barry Levy was on the Olympics Organizing Committee for many years. He ran the torch relay in 1984, 1996 and 2002.
Approximately 32-1/2" in length.
|