Olympic Torch Relay — history and controversies (1936–present)

1. First Olympic torch relay staged for Berlin Games

   Jul 20, 1936Labels: Carl Diem, Berlin Olympics, Olympia

   • USHMM
   • World Athletics
   • History com

2. First postwar relay brings flame to London

   Jul 17, 1948Labels: 1948 London, naval transport, torch designs

   • 1948 Relay
   • Official Report

3. Helsinki adds “Midnight Sun” second flame

   Jul 6, 1952Labels: Helsinki 1952, Midnight Sun, Finnish Lapland

   • IOC Relay
   • Helsinki Relay
   • Team USA

4. Mexico City relay crosses Atlantic to the Americas

   Oct 6, 1968Labels: Mexico City, Veracruz, Enriqueta Basilio

   • 1968 Relay
   • Olympic Museum
   • TIME Photos

5. Montreal uses satellite “laser” flame transmission

   Jul 13, 1976Labels: Montreal 1976, satellite transmission, Athens signal

   • 1976 Relay
   • Canada Ceremonies
   • Official Report

6. Los Angeles relay plan sparks commercialization backlash

   Feb 1, 1984Labels: Los Angeles, Youth Legacy, Greek officials

   • 1984 Relay
   • IOC LA84

7. Barcelona cauldron lit by a flaming arrow

   Jul 25, 1992Labels: Barcelona 1992, Antonio Rebollo, flaming arrow

   • 1992 Ceremony
   • Paralympic
   • Olympic Museum

8. Atlanta relay ends with Muhammad Ali lighting cauldron

   Jul 19, 1996Labels: Atlanta 1996, Muhammad Ali, US relay

   • 1996 Relay
   • IOC Ali

9. Sydney cauldron emphasizes reconciliation, then malfunctions

   Sep 15, 2000Labels: Sydney 2000, Cathy Freeman, ring cauldron

   • 2000 Ceremony
   • ABC News
   • Sydney Cauldron

10. Beijing relay hit by major protests and route disruptions

    Apr 9, 2008Labels: Beijing 2008, protests, San Francisco

    • Guardian SF
    • Al Jazeera
    • Al Jazeera

11. Sochi relay expands scale with space and North Pole stops

    Nov 7, 2013Labels: Sochi 2014, North Pole, International Space

    • Sochi Relay
    • SI Recap
    • 2014 Games

12. Rio relay draws backlash after jaguar dies in ceremony

    Jun 22, 2016Labels: Rio 2016, Manaus ceremony, jaguar

    • TIME
    • Cond Nast

13. Tokyo torch relay postponed and restarted under COVID-19 limits

    Mar 25, 2021Labels: Tokyo 2020, Fukushima restart, COVID-19 limits

    • IOC Relay
    • Kyodo
    • 2020 Relay