The origin of the Olympic torch relay
The Olympic torch relay originated from a religious ceremony in ancient Athens, when people made sacrifices to the moon. On the day of summer solstice, believers of Zeus who made a pilgrimage to Athens ran a race to decide who would light the flame on the altar. The winner was authorized to take the torch from the high priest and light the flame on the altar. According to historical records, in 778 BC, in the first known Olympic Games, a man named Karabos won the competition and was honored to light the flame.
The modern Olympic torch relay takes fire from the temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, and lights the torch. Then the torch passed from the temple to Athens, the birthplace of the ancient Olympic movement, and finally reached the host city of the Olympic Games, and lit the torch at the main venue of the Olympic Games at the opening of the Olympic Games.
Because the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics are held alternately, the Olympic flame will be rekindled every two years. In the traditional ceremony held in the ancient city of Olympia, a priestess lit the flame with the help of a saint. The priestess collected sunlight with a parabolic mirror and lit the torch. When the flame is lit, the priestess will hold it high and solemnly place it on the clay altar in front of the ruins of Hera Temple. The flame will be passed to the first torch relay messenger. The torch he holds is a unique torch with special significance, carefully designed by the host city of the Olympic Games.
The organizing committee of each Olympic Games is responsible for designing unique torches and then making enough torches for the torch relay. The flame is passed from one city to another until it reaches the Olympic Stadium in the host city.
The Olympic flame first appeared.
The Olympic flame first appeared in the modern Olympic Games at the 9th Amsterdam Olympic Games in 1928. At that time, in addition to building a new main stadium with a capacity of 40,000 people, the host also built a tall tower. During the Olympic Games, there is always a burning flame in the tower. The flame was taken from Olympia, and it was lit by collecting sunlight with a condenser. Then it passes through Greece, Yugoslavia, Austria and Germany, and finally reaches the host country. This is the first time that this kind of activity has been held in the Olympic Games.
1934, the IOC officially decided to hold the flame ceremony from the 1 1 Olympic Games, and hold the flame ceremony next to the temple of Hera in Olympia, and then relay it to the Olympic venues. The organizing committee of Berlin Olympic Games designed a route for the first torch relay, passing through the capitals of Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Germany, and arrived at Berlin Olympic Stadium on August 1. The torch is made of polished steel, and the handle is engraved with the words "Fakelstaffel-Lauf Olympia-Berlin1936". Above the font are the Olympic rings and the German eagle emblem. Below the font, there is a torch relay route map, and on the platform at the top of the torch body, there are words of thanks to the torchbearers.
Since then, the Olympic flame has officially entered the modern Olympic Games, becoming a great symbol of the modern Olympic Games and even the Olympic spirit. At the same time, the Olympic torch has also become the carrier for the organizing committee to reflect the cultural characteristics of the host city, country and nation. The torch of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games evolved from an olive branch symbolizing victory. It reflects the deep feelings of the Greeks for the Olympic movement in a simple way, and it is passed on in all the cities in the world that have hosted the Olympic Games and will host the Olympic Games soon.
It has become a necessary condition for Beijing to relay the Olympic torchbearers.
For everyone in China, being a torchbearer of the Beijing Olympic Games is undoubtedly the supreme honor, but it is not so easy to be an Olympic torchbearer. In addition to loving the motherland, loving the Olympic movement and practicing the concept of Beijing Olympic Games, you must make outstanding achievements in your own industry and region or contribute to the development of the Olympic cause, or have made outstanding achievements in the history of the Olympic Games before you can become a torchbearer.
The torch relay center of Beijing Olympic Games has allocated the number of torchbearers in various places a few days ago, and asked all places to report the torchbearer selection plan to the Olympic Organizing Committee before the end of May. According to BOCOG's requirements, there are three ways to select torchbearers: through organizational recommendation, public registration and selection, and the combination of organizational recommendation and public registration.
Judging from the local conditions, besides the number of torchbearers distributed by BOCOG, it is also necessary to select runners. According to the requirements, these runners will be produced among college students and young teachers.
According to BOCOG's distribution plan, the participants of the torch relay in various regions and cities will be composed of the following parts: locally selected athletes (accounting for more than half); Member of the Chinese Olympic Committee (about10%); Representatives of BOCOG and the "Olympic Family" (all organizations and individuals involved in the Olympic Movement, including the International Olympic Committee, international individual sports federations, athletes and coaches). ) will account for about 1%; In addition, there are representatives of sponsors, which will account for nearly one third.
In addition, several sponsors of the Olympic torch relay also have some torchbearers. For many people, choosing a sponsor may also be an opportunity to realize their dreams.
There are three sponsors of the Beijing Olympic torch relay, namely Coca-Cola, Samsung and Lenovo. The head of Coca-Cola Company told reporters that they will select Olympic torchbearers nationwide. The selection condition of torchbearers this time is "role models around", and they demand that "torchbearers must have a good influence on society and make outstanding contributions." Anyone who affects people around him with a good complexion may become the torchbearer selected by Coca-Cola.
Lenovo said that from June to the end of this year, it will look for the most Olympic-minded "explorers" to be Olympic torchbearers and torch ambassadors in 3/kloc-0 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across the country; They will also select running guards in colleges and universities across the country to inspire the public to constantly break through boundaries, explore transcendence and realize the possibility. Samsung Electronics revealed to reporters that they have obtained the right to select 1500 torchbearers, and their torchbearer recruitment will mainly cooperate with marketing activities.
Review of the lighting ceremony of Olympic flame in previous years
1964, at the Tokyo 18 Olympic Games in Japan, Sakai, a young man of 19 years old, lit the "Olympic flame" symbolizing peace. Because he was born on the day of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, it has different meanings.
1968, the flame of Mexico City 19 Olympic Games was lit for the first time by a 20-year-old female track and field athlete, Desort Lo.
1976, at the 2 1 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, 16-year-old girl Henderson and 15-year-old boy Prefontaine both lit the "Olympic Flame".
1984, the torch of the 23rd Los Angeles Olympic Games was passed from Greece to the United States. Johnson (the decathlon champion of Rome Olympic Games) first lit the five-ring sign hanging on the stadium wall, and then the burning five rings lit the flame of the main venue.
1992, at the 25th Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, rebollo, a two-time Paralympic archery medal winner, lit the flame in the main venue with archery.
1996, the 26th Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA, was lit by boxing champion Ali. The boxing champion Ali (who has suffered from Parkinson's disease) trembled slightly and lit the fire under the torch with both hands. The fire quickly rose to the top of the torch platform along the steel wire, thus igniting the Olympic flame.
At the 27th Olympic Games held in Sydney, Australia in 2000, Cathy Freeman, an indigenous female athlete, lit the flame with a torch.
In 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Nico lahoz Karamanakis, the gold medal winner of sailing events in Atlanta Olympic Games, lit the spindle-shaped main torch tower with the torch in his hand, and the Olympic flame was blazing in the birthplace of the Olympic Games.
2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay schedule
Time event
On April 26, 2007, the overall planning route of the Beijing Olympic torch relay and the distribution of the Beijing Olympic torch were announced.
In May 2007, the flame arrived at Mount Everest for a test preview.
On March 25th, 2008, the flame was collected in Olympia.
From March 25th to 30th, 2008, the Olympic flame was passed in Greece.
Torch handover ceremony on March 30, 2008
On March 3rd, 2008, the flame entered China and the international relay started at the same time.
In May 2008, the Olympic flame returned to Chinese mainland.
In May 2008, the flame reached Mount Everest.
The flame arrived in Beijing in August 2008.
The flame was lit on August 8, 2008.
Beijing Olympic torch relay route
The torch relay is divided into overseas relay and domestic relay. The order and city are as follows:
Foreign delivery route:
Almaty (Kazakhstan)-Istanbul (Turkey)-St. Petersburg (Russia)-London (Britain)-Paris (France)-San Francisco (USA)-Buenos Aires (Argentina)-Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)-Muscat (Oman)-Islamabad (Pakistan)-Mumbai (India)-Bangkok (Thailand)-Kuala Lumpur
Domestic delivery route:
Hong Kong-Macau-Hainan Province (Sanya, Wuzhishan, Wanning and Haikou)-Guangdong Province (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Huizhou and Shantou)-Fujian Province (Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen and Longyan)-Jiangxi Province (Ruijin, Jinggangshan and Nanchang)-Zhejiang Province (Wenzhou, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Shaoxing and Jiaxing)-Shanghai. -Hunan Province (Yueyang, Changsha and Shaoshan)-Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Guilin, Nanning and Baise)-Yunnan Province (Kunming, Lijiang and Shangri-La)-Guizhou Province (Guiyang, Kaili and Zunyi)-Chongqing-Sichuan Province (Guang 'an, Mianyang, Guanghan, Leshan, Zigong, Yibin and Chengdu)-Xizang Autonomous Region (Shannan region)
The significance of torch relay
In ancient Greek mythology, the fire on the earth originated from Prometheus stealing fire from God and giving it to mankind. Since 1936, the torch relay has become an essential ceremony for every Olympic Games. The Olympic flame is a symbol of peace. From the ancient Olympic Games more than 2,000 years ago to the modern Olympic Games starting from 1896, peace has always been the main theme of the Olympic movement and the core of the Olympic spirit. Make a "heavenly fire" in front of the temple, and put peace in the olive branch. When the sacred torch burns under the blue sky and white clouds, nothing can ignite people's desire and pursuit of peace more than the Olympic flame, and no other activity shows the significance of the Olympic torch in conveying peace around the world.
In 2008, the Olympic Games came to Beijing, and the Olympic flame also came to China. The torch relay is of great and far-reaching significance to China.
First of all, it publicized the Olympic spirit in the place where the torch relay passed, and the Olympic five-ring symbol embodied the Olympic spirit. The international recognition of the five-ring symbol is equivalent to that of the Red Cross, and it is one of the most recognized symbols in the world.
The Olympic spirit is not only a sports spirit, but also a symbol of world peace, harmony and cooperation, friendship and unity. This spirit has gone beyond the scope of sports and become a universal recognition. It will pass the flame from people's hands to people's hands, and it will show the warm scene of the world in the empty streets and arouse people's lofty feelings.
Secondly, the torch relay reminds people that the Olympic Games will be held in Beijing next summer, which is the most effective publicity for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Seeing the torch relay to Beijing, people all over the world will think of China, a rapidly developing China that is changing the destiny of the people of China. According to a sample survey conducted by an international organization, China's positive recognition of the world has reached the fifth place in the world, far above the United States. Therefore, in 200 1 year, the International Olympic Committee in Moscow chose Beijing to host the 2008 Olympic Games. Since the public hopes for it, we must go all out to make it wonderful and satisfy everyone.
Seeing the torch relay to Beijing, people in all provinces and cities in China are full of joy, full of expectations for the success of the Beijing Olympic Games, and have aroused people's enthusiasm for contributing to the Beijing Olympic Games. In the past, it was vilified by westerners as "the sick man of East Asia"; Today, as a world sports power, China people stand tall in the world, which is something that China people at home and abroad should be proud of. The torch relay gave people an opportunity to express their feelings.
Thirdly, the relay of the Olympic torch will inspire our people to understand the profound significance of sports and enhance their sports awareness. According to the survey report of the World Health Organization, the role of modern medicine in human health and longevity is only 8%, and there are many other factors, among which fitness exercises account for more than 8%. When we talk about "putting people first", the core is a healthy life. Without a healthy life, there is a lack of all-round development. At present, under the auspices of General Secretary Hu Jintao, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee has specially discussed the sports work of teenagers. It can be seen that our party and government have put sports work at a very high level. Therefore, the torch relay of the Beijing Olympic Games in the whole country is the national mobilization of the national fitness campaign.
Anecdote of torch relay
Who will carry the torch? Can I buy a flashlight with money? Where can I buy it?
The Athens Olympic Organizing Committee guarantees that every torchbearer will have one, but they need to pay for it themselves. The price of the torch for the Athens Olympic Games is 305 euros. After the relay is completed, the torch will be taken back and will be handled by the Athens Olympic Organizing Committee unless the torchbearer buys the torch he holds. There are only two ways for the general public to own an Athens Olympic torch: the torchbearer resells it to you, or buys it from the Athens Olympic Organizing Committee through some special channels.
What should I do if the torch goes out on the way? What should I do if the torchbearer can't run or fainted?
The torch went out mainly because the torchbearer didn't know enough about the torch itself. If it goes out accidentally, the torch will be rekindled with the fire in the fire box and the torch relay will continue. The selected torchbearer requires a certain physical strength, but during the relay, some people did fall down and faint because of excitement or other reasons. When this happened, the security guard who was maintaining the whole process immediately held the torch high to help him continue the rest of the journey.
Can I use my mobile phone during the Olympic torch relay?
Don't use mobile phones or headphones when running, wear uniform clothes, and don't set promotional patterns on your body. Both sides of the road should also be set according to regulations. Everything is to avoid suspicion of commercial use.
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