1996 Summer Olympics torch relay

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The 1996 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from April 27, 1996 until July 19, 1996, prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.^[1] The route covered 26,875 kilometres (16,699 mi) across the United States and included a trek on the Pony Express, a ride on the Union Pacific Railroad, and a torch was taken into space for the first time. The relay involved over 12,000 torchbearers, including Muhammad Ali, whose lighting of the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony is remembered as one of the most inspiring and emotional moments in Olympic history.

Torch

Top section of a torch showing the logo of the 1996 Games

The torch was designed by Malcolm Grear and featured 22 aluminum "reeds" intended to represent the number of times that the Games had been held. A gold-plated band towards the base of the torch features the names of all 20 host cities up to and including Atlanta while the logo is etched into another band near the top. The handle, made of Georgia hardwood by Hillerich & Bradsby Co, maker of Louisville Slugger bats, is found near the center of the 76 centimetres (30 in) torch.^[2][3] In total it weighed 1,600 grams (56 oz).^[3] Torchbearers were allowed to purchase for $275 the torch that they had carried.^[4]

Route

A runner carrying the torch during the relay

The initial journey of the Olympic flame always begins in Olympia. Over 800 people carried the torch a distance of 2,141 kilometres (1,330 mi) across Greece, the most extensive in the history of the Games.^[3] The flame then landed at Los Angeles International Airport on April 27, 1996 and was met with a welcome ceremony. The first torchbearer of the American part of the relay, Rafer Johnson, was the final torchbearer at the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles.^[5] It went on to visit 42 states and 29 state capitols along a journey of 26,875 kilometres (16,699 mi).^[2][3] The torch was carried by 12,467 bearers including 2,000 former Olympians or other people somehow linked to the Olympic movement, 5,500 people who had been nominated locally as "community heroes", and 2,500 people picked out in a draw.^[3][4]

The route was designed to take in as many historically and culturally significant locations as possible.^[5] The torch was first carried to Santa Monica Pier and was greeted at the first of hundreds of celebratory events. It then proceeded along the coast and up to Kingman, Arizona at which point it joined the famous Route 66, passing close to the Grand Canyon and reaching Hoover Dam. It was carried across by Martha Watson and the world's largest US flag was unfurled across the wall of the dam.^[5]

The route featured a wide variety in the methods of transport used, including bicycles, boats, and trains.^[2] From Las Vegas the flame was passed onto a special cauldron car on a Union Pacific train, the first of several train journeys. The National Pony Express Association participated in the journey with riders carrying the torch for over 56 continuous hours. On June 12 the torch was taken on board a replica of a 19th-century packet boat and pulled for 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) along Erie Canal by mule.^[5] The torch was also carried into space for the first time, with astronauts taking an unlit torch with them aboard Space Shuttle Columbia as part of STS-78.^[6][7][8][9] This was replicated during the 2000 Summer Olympics torch relay and as part of the 2014 Winter Olympics torch relay.^[9]

While the relay went without any major mishaps there was need for a 15-mile diversion on the route between Baton Rouge and New Orleans – a 310,000 US gallons (1,200,000 l; 260,000 imp gal) gasoline spillage in Gramercy, Louisiana necessitated the detour.^[4]

Date	Map
April 27 (Day 1): Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum April 27 (Day 1): Los Angeles April 27 (Day 1): Santa Monica April 27 (Day 1): Manhattan Beach April 27 (Day 1): Seal Beach April 27 and 28 (Days 1 and 2): Huntington Beach April 28 (Day 2): Laguna Beach April 28 (Day 2): Dana Point April 28 (Day 2): Oceanside April 28 (Day 2): Carlsbad April 28 (Day 2): Del Mar April 28 (Day 2): La Jolla April 28 (Day 2): San Diego April 28 (Day 2): Otay Lakes April 28 and 29 (Days 2 & 3): Chula Vista April 29 (Day 3): Jacumba April 29 (Day 3): Calexico April 29 (Day 3): Yuma	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
April 30 (Day 4): Yuma April 30 (Day 4): Phoenix April 30 (Day 4): Sun City April 30 (Day 4): Kingman	18 19 20 21
May 1 (Day 5): Kingman May 1 (Day 5): Hoover Dam May 1 (Day 5): Boulder City May 1 (Day 5): Henderson May 1 (Day 5): Las Vegas	21 22 23 24 25
May 2 (Day 6): Las Vegas May 2 (Day 6): Barstow May 2 (Day 6): Santa Barbara May 2 (Day 6): San Luis Obispo May 2 and 3 (Days 6 and 7): San Jose May 3 (Day 7): Santa Clara May 3 (Day 7): Sunnyvale May 3 (Day 7): San Mateo May 3 (Day 7): Foster City May 3 and 4 (Days 7 & 8): San Francisco May 4 (Day 8): Napa May 4 (Day 8): Davis May 4 (Day 8): Sacramento May 4 (Day 8): Redding May 5 (Day 9): Torch enters Oregon via a Union Pacific train	25 26 27 28 29 30 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37
May 5 (Day 9): Klamath Falls May 5 (Day 9): Eugene May 5 (Day 9): Corvallis May 5 (Day 9): Salem May 5 (Day 9): Oregon City May 5 and 6 (Days 9 and 10): Portland May 6 (Day 10): St. Helens May 6 (Day 10): Columbia City May 6 (Day 10): Rainier	38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
May 6 (Day 10): Longview May 6 (Day 10): Centralia May 6 and 7 (Days 10 and 11): Olympia May 7 (Day 11): Tacoma May 7 (Day 11): Gig Harbor May 7 (Day 11): Bremerton May 7 and 8 (Days 11 and 12): Seattle May 8 (Day 12): Renton May 8 and 9 (Days 12 and 13): Yakima	47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55
May 9 (Day 13): Pendleton	56
May 9 (Day 13): Boise May 9 (Day 13): Pocatello	57 58
May 9 and 10 (Days 13 and 14): Ogden May 10 (Day 14): North Salt Lake May 10 and 11 (Days 14 and 15): Salt Lake City May 11 (Day 15): Echo	59 60 61 62
May 11 (Day 15): Cheyenne	63
May 12 (Day 16): Cheyenne May 12 (Day 16): Greeley May 12 (Day 16): Denver May 12 and 13 (Days 16 and 17): Colorado Springs May 13 (Day 17): Limon May 13 (Day 17): Brush May 13 (Day 17): Sterling May 13 (Day 17): Ovid May 13 (Day 17): Julesburg May 14 and 15 (Days 18 and 19): Torch enters Missouri via horseback on the Pony Express route	63 64 65 66 66 67 68 69 70
May 15 and 16 (Days 19 and 20): St. Joseph May 16 (Day 20): Kansas City	71 72
May 16 (Day 20): Kansas City May 16 (Day 20): Lawrence May 16 and 17 (Days 20 and 21): Topeka May 17 (Day 21): Emporia May 17 and 18 (Days 21 and 22): Wichita	73 74 75 76 77
May 18 (Day 22): Ponca City May 18 (Day 22): Yale May 18 and 19 (Days 22 and 23): Stillwater May 19 (Day 23): Oklahoma City May 19 (Day 23): Norman	78 79 80 81 82
May 19 and 20 (Days 23 and 24): Fort Worth May 20 (Day 24): Dallas May 20 and 21 (Days 24 and 25): Waco May 21 (Day 25): College Station May 21 (Day 25): Bryan May 21 and 22 (Days 25 and 26): Houston May 22 (Day 26): Beaumont May 22 (Day 26): Orange	83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
May 22 and 23 (Days 26 and 27): Lake Charles May 23 (Day 27): Crowley May 23 (Day 27): Lafayette May 23 (Day 27): Opelousas May 23 and 24 (Days 27 and 28): Baton Rouge May 24 (Day 28): Gonzales May 24 (Day 28): LaPlace May 24 (Day 28): Destrehan May 24 (Day 28): Bridge City May 24 and 25 (Days 28 and 29): New Orleans May 25 (Day 29): Slidell May 25 (Day 29): Bogalusa	91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 99 100 101 102
May 25 (Day 29): Mendenhall May 25 (Day 29): Jackson May 25 and 26 (Days 29 and 30): Vicksburg	103 104 105
May 26 (Day 30): Pine Bluff May 26 (Day 30): Little Rock May 26 (Day 30): West Memphis	106 107 108
May 26 and 27 (Days 30 and 31): Memphis	109
May 27 (Day 31): Cape Girardeau May 27 (Day 31): Ste. Genevieve May 27 and 28 (Days 31 and 32): Crystal City May 28 (Day 32): Festus May 28 (Day 32): St. Louis May 29 (Day 33): Torch enters Hannibal via steamboat May 29 and 30 (Days 33 and 34): Hannibal	110 111 112 113 114 115
May 30 (Day 34): Keokuk May 30 (Day 34): Mount Pleasant May 30 (Day 34): Iowa City May 30 and 31 (Days 34 and 35): Cedar Rapids May 31 (Day 35): Waterloo May 31 (Day 35): Cedar Falls	116 117 118 119 120 121
May 31 and June 1 (Days 35 and 36): Austin June 1 (Day 36): Rochester June 1 and 2 (Days 36 and 37): Minneapolis June 2 (Day 37): Saint Paul June 2 (Day 37): Red Wing	122 123 124 125 126
June 2 (Day 37): La Crosse June 2 (Day 37): Wisconsin Dells June 2 and 3 (Days 37 and 38): Milwaukee June 3 (Day 38): Kenosha	127 128 129 130
June 3 (Day 38): Waukegan June 3 (Day 38): Chicago June 3 (Day 38): Gary	131 132 133
June 4 (Day 39): Gary June 4 (Day 39): Lafayette June 4 (Day 39): Speedway June 4 and 5 (Days 39 and 40): Indianapolis June 5 (Day 40): Scottsburg	133 134 135 136 137
June 5 and 6 (Days 40 and 41): Louisville June 6 (Day 41): Prospect June 6 (Day 41): Warsaw June 6 (Day 41): Covington June 6 (Day 41): Cincinnati	138 139 140 141 142
June 7 (Day 42): Cincinnati June 7 (Day 42): Washington Court House June 7 and 8 (Days 42 and 43): Columbus June 8 (Day 43): Dublin June 8 (Day 43): Marysville June 8 (Day 43): Findlay June 8 (Day 43): Bowling Green June 8 (Day 43): Toledo June 8 (Day 43): Dearborn	142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150
June 9 (Day 44): Dearborn June 9 (Day 44): Flat Rock June 9 (Day 44): Detroit	150 151 152
June 9 and 10 (Day 44 and 45): Cleveland	153
June 12 (Day 47): Niagara Falls June 12 (Day 47): Rochester June 12 (Day 47): Syracuse June 14 (Day 49): Albany	154 155 156 157
June 14 (Day 49): Bennington June 14 (Day 49): Brattleboro June 14 (Day 49): Nashua	158 159 160
June 14 (Day 49): Kittery	161

Sponsorship

The relay was sponsored by Coca-Cola with accompanying cars, vans, and trucks emblazoned with the logo. Revenue from the drinks sold from the travelling party were donated to charity.^[4] As part of the deal Coca-Cola were allowed to choose a quarter of the relay runners. They gave nomination forms away as part of a promotional deal with 12-packs of their cans with the entries largely being selected at random.^[10]

Opening ceremony

Muhammad Ali, the surprise final torchbearer, pictured in 2004

The end of the relay took place on July 19, 1996 at the opening ceremony in Atlanta. Four-time gold medal-winning discus thrower Al Oerter carried the torch to the stadium, passing it to Evander Holyfield. Holyfield was then joined by Voula Patoulidou and the pair passed the flame to American swimmer Janet Evans, the penultimate torchbearer, who carried it around a lap of the track and up a long ramp leading towards the northern end of the stadium.^[11][12]

The identity of the final torchbearer had been kept secret and was only revealed when Muhammad Ali appeared at the top of the ramp. Ali, who had won gold at the 1960 Games in Rome and later developed Parkinson's disease, lit a mechanical torch which then travelled along a wire, lighting the cauldron at the top of a 116-foot (35 m) tower.^[11][12] His appearance has been referred to as being one of the most inspiring, poignant, and emotional moments in Olympic history.^[11][13][14]

References