If you ask someone what is the main symbol of the Olympic Games, he will say without hesitation that this is a burning Olympic torch, and, of course, he will be absolutely right. The tradition of lighting a fire before the start of the games appeared in ancient Greece. She reminds us of the feat of Prometheus, who managed to steal the flame from Zeus and passed it to people. Nowadays, every time before the start of the Olympics, a fire is lit in Greek Olympia, and then delivered by relay to the venue of the next games. In this case, one curious feature can be noticed. Each time, according to unspoken tradition, the Olympic torch has a special shape and original design. This is clearly seen in the last three games.
Athens Olympic Torch (2004): Attenuation Leader
A year before the start of the games, it was presented to the public for discussion. The creator of this torch was Andreas Varotsos - an industrial designer of office furniture. His idea was to use olive wood and metal as the main materials. Thus, the design symbolized the connection of ancient Greek history and modernity. The Athenian torch was shaped like a twisted olive leaf. He looked rather modest, but at the same time laconic, but in practice he turned out to be very unsuccessful: during the relay he was often blown away by the wind, and during the ceremony in the temple of Hera, at the most inopportune moment, the fire, as if evil, completely went out.
Beijing Olympic Torch (2008): ecology comes first
This time, the design was developed by the IT company Lenovo, a world-famous computer manufacturer. The creation of this torch took almost a whole year from technical specialists and a design team. As a result, it was made in the form of a paper scroll, because it is he who is considered the greatest invention of China. The colors of the torch were dominated by red, symbolizing victory, and silver. The upper part was decorated with a traditional Chinese pattern of clouds, which is often found in the interior and paintings of the Middle Kingdom. This torch has become the most environmentally friendly and technological in the history of games. An alloy of magnesium and aluminum was used for its manufacture, and it was decided to use propane as a fuel. This gas does not pollute the atmosphere during the combustion process , which means that no harm was done to the lungs of marathon runners and other athletes.
London Olympic Torch (2012): hole in the hole
As you know, the British love accuracy and pedantry. When exactly one hundred days were left before the start of the London Olympics, a new torch was presented to the public. Its design was developed by two British designers: Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. Before starting work, each of them studied a detailed description (80 pages) of all torch models of previous games and a list of requirements for their manufacture. As a result, London designers have proposed making the Olympic torch of aluminum alloy in the form of a tapering triangle. Thanks to this material, it turned out to be both strong and light, and three faces were supposed to symbolize the famous motto of athletes “Faster, higher, stronger”, as well as the third game in London. But that’s not all: the British decided to show originality and inflicted perforation in the form of 8,000 small holes on the torch. Thus, the number of marathon runners who delivered fire from Greece was noted.
What will surprise the 2014 Olympic torch
As many already know, the next winter games will be held at the popular resort of the Black Sea coast of Russia.
This time, the organizers seriously decided to impress the public with their imagination and originality of the plan: the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch will visit space for the first time. True, it is reported that for safety reasons they will not light it. Nevertheless, this event will certainly become a bright moment in the annals of the
Olympic movement.