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The Olympic torch is an iconic symbol of the Olympic games and is the link between the ancient Greek games and the modern games. For today's topic, we will look into the role of the torch in the Olympics.
The Olympics started in ancient Greece and took place every four years from the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D. The Greeks believed the fire of the torch represented life, rationality, and freedom. The Olympics eventually stopped because they were deemed as a pagan festival by a Christian Emperor. It wasn't until 1896 that the modern games picked back up.
The Olympic torch relay in the modern games began at the 1936 games in Berlin. Here is the first torch lighting the Olympic cauldron.
Many historians believe “Hitler’s Third Reich introduced the relay as a propaganda stunt to publicize the Games". Not all positive symbols have a clean history.
Even in the modern Olympics, the torch is initially lit in Olympia, Greece months before the opening ceremony. Here is the torch being lit before the 2016 RioOlympics.
The torch is lit naturally by the reflection of the sun off the cauldron. Once the torch is lit, the relay begins.
There have been many weird ways of getting the torch to the host country including by horseback, bus, camel, canoe, and even satellite (which is a little suspect to me). Nowadays, the flame is typically flown from Greece and then toured around the host country on foot. There are many torches but only one that is lit at at a time. The flame is passed at certain key points en route to the opening ceremony. Here is one from the Tokyo relay a few months ago.
Each Olympics has a new torch that is specific to the host country. For example, the Tokyo Olympic torch is based on their beloved cherry blossom tree. The shaft has a slight pink hue and the top is shaped like the cherry blossom flower. The torch was initially lit in Olympia in March of 2020 to align with the cherry blossom season (talk about tricky timing).
Shortly after the lighting in Olympia, they had to cancel the relay and the Olympics because of Covid. The torch stayed lit in a building in Tokyo for a year. Tomorrow morning the Tokyo Olympic ceremony begins and the Olympic torch will mark the beginning of the games.
Looking back at previous torch lightings, everyone agrees the most epic lighting was at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics opening ceremony. Check out the 1-minute video below of archer Antonio Rebollo shooting a flaming arrow into the cauldron a few hundred feet away.
It is a bit of a digression but Rebollo's story of how he got to be the archer of the opening ceremony is worth noting.
At age 8 he contracted polio and chose to focus on Archery because it was a sport where his disability wouldn't put him at a disadvantage. Born in Madrid, he won many Paralympic medals in Archery for Spain. When Barcelona decided they were going to have an archer shoot an arrow into the Olympic cauldron, they held a nationwide competition. Rebollo passed the physical and psychological tests with flying colors.
However, the Barcelona committee was reluctant to award him the spot, because he was from Madrid and not Barcelona 🙄. They held more competitions and selected a Barcelona native as the alternate. It wasn't until two hours before the opening ceremony that the committee informed Rebollo that he definitely would go on (!?!).
Despite having to wait until the last minute Robello was as cool as a cucumber. He was the central figure for the defining moment of the start of the Olympics but he was calmer than anyone else around him. In fact, the attendant who handed him his bow was visibly shaking. Robello notched his arrow, and let it fly. After the arrow ignited the cauldron he turned to the attendant and said, "okay, you can relax now, the Olympics have started".
🔥 It's hard to imagine that the ancient Olympics were held for almost 1200 years. Despite, all of the turmoil in the world it is great to see people from almost every nation come together to compete in Sports. The torch is the connection between ancient times and the modern world. I for one, am excited to watch what unfolds in the next 16 days of the Olympics.
Podcast I recommend
Alexander the Grate on Conversations with Tyler.
Tyler Cowen is one of my favorite public intellectuals and in this podcast episode, he interviews Alexander the Grate. Alexander has spent 40 years – more than half of his life – living on the streets (and heating grates) of Washington, DC. Not the typical interviewee that I listen to, but worth the listen. Spotify link.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
The more I learn about Giannis the more I like him. He is the most recent NBA champion, a 2x MVP, and arguably the best player in basketball in the world right now. His game is nice, but it turns out he is a nicer guy. He came from humble beginnings in Greece, as a child of two recent Nigerian immigrants.
Here’s a story of Giannis from his rookie season in Milwaukee.
In December, Antetokounmpo took a taxi from his suburban Milwaukee home to a nearby Western Union. It was a game day, and Antetokounmpo wanted to wire some money to his family in Athens before heading to the arena. He went to the ATM, withdrew some cash and sent it. When he went back to take out more for cab fare, he discovered he had reached his limit. Panicked, Antetokounmpo decided to run the two or so miles to the Bradley stadium. A young married couple pulled up alongside him.
"Are you the Bucks rookie?" they asked.
"Yes," Antetokounmpo said.
"Do you need a ride?"
"Yes, please," Antetokounmpo replied. He hopped into the backseat of the SUV and was dropped off at the arena's front door.
This was in the middle of the Winter in Milwaukee (below 20 degrees) and he only had a windbreaker. He has worked extremely hard on his game and even won Most Improved Player in 2017. I remain a Warriors and Hornets fan, but I’ll be rooting for Giannis next season too.
Pic of the Week
Jenny and I went to "Magic Patio" last Friday. Andrew Evans the magician had started the show 5 years ago on his patio. I had been trying to get tickets to his show for years but they always sold out too quickly. This year, Andrew upgraded to a full event space that he created (he has degrees from Brown and Stanford in product engineering).
The show was fantastic and Jenny got called up for the final trick. It involved a levitating table, a ring, and turning a napkin into a flower.