Olympic flame: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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*In Los Angeles in 1984, [[Rafer Johnson]] lit a wick at the top of the archway after having climbed a big flight of steps. The flame flared up a pipe, through the Olympic Rings, and on up the side of the tower to ignite the cauldron.

*In Atlanta in 1996, the cauldron was an artistic [[scroll]] decorated in red and gold. It was lit by [[Muhammad Ali]], using a mechanical, self-propelling fuse ball that transported the flame up a wire from the stadium to its cauldron.<ref>{{YouTube|id=5TaITzi64Sw|title=1996 Atlanta Opening Ceremonies&nbsp;— Lighting of the Cauldron}}</ref> At the [[1996 Summer Paralympics]], the scroll was lit by [[paraplegic]] [[climbing|climber]] [[Mark Wellman]], hoisting himself up a rope to the cauldron. The cauldron used in 1984 is the centerpiece of the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]]; it was used in 1932 and will likely also be used in 2028.

*In the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in Sydney, [[Cathy Freeman]] walked across a circular pool of water and ignited the cauldron through the water, surrounding herself within a ring of fire. The planned spectacular climax to the ceremony was delayed by the technical glitch of a computer switch that malfunctioned, causing the sequence to shut down by giving a false reading. This meant that the Olympic flame was suspended in mid-air for about four minutes, rather than immediately rising up a water-covered ramp to the top of the stadium. When it was discovered what the problem was, the program was overridden and the cauldron continued up the ramp, where it finally rested on a tall silver pedestal.

*In the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, the cauldron was lit by the members of the winning 1980 US hockey team. After being skated around the centre ice rink there in the stadium, the flame was carried up a staircase to the team members, who then lit a wick of sorts at the bottom of the cauldron tower which set off a line of flames that travelled up inside the tower until it reached the cauldron at the top which ignited. This cauldron was the first to use glass and incorporated running water to prevent the glass from heating and to keep it clean.