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The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol
Symbol

A symbol is something such as an entity, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention....
 of the Olympic Games
Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sports. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia, Greece, Greece....
. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus
Zeus

Zeus in Greek mythology is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky father and List of thunder gods. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull , and oak....
 by Prometheus
Prometheus

In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to human beings for their use....
, its origins lie in ancient Greece
Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
, when a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics
Ancient Olympic Games

The Ancient Olympic Games, originally referred to as simply the Olympic Games were a series of athletic competitions held for representatives of various city-states of Ancient Greece....
. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics
1928 Summer Olympics

The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands....
 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the Capital of the Netherlands and List of cities in the Netherlands with over 100,000 people of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands of North Holland in the west of the country....
, and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since.






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Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol
Symbol

A symbol is something such as an entity, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention....
 of the Olympic Games
Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sports. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia, Greece, Greece....
. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus
Zeus

Zeus in Greek mythology is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky father and List of thunder gods. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull , and oak....
 by Prometheus
Prometheus

In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to human beings for their use....
, its origins lie in ancient Greece
Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
, when a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics
Ancient Olympic Games

The Ancient Olympic Games, originally referred to as simply the Olympic Games were a series of athletic competitions held for representatives of various city-states of Ancient Greece....
. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics
1928 Summer Olympics

The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands....
 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the Capital of the Netherlands and List of cities in the Netherlands with over 100,000 people of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands of North Holland in the west of the country....
, and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since. The torch relay of modern times which transports the flame from Greece to the various designated sites of the games had no ancient precedent and was introduced by Carl Diem
Carl Diem

Dr. Carl Diem was a German sports administrator, and as Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the Berlin Olympic Games, the chief organizer of the 1936 Berlin Games ....
, with the support of Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels

Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German people politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. He was one of German dictator Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers....
, at the controversial Berlin Olympics as a means to promote Nazi ideology.

Usage

The Olympic Torch today is ignited several months before the opening celebration of the Olympic Games
Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sports. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia, Greece, Greece....
 at the site of the ancient Olympics in Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
, Greece. Eleven women, representing the roles of priestesses, perform a ceremony in which the torch is kindled by the light of the Sun, its rays concentrated by a parabolic mirror
Parabolic reflector

A parabolic reflector is a parabola-shaped Mirror device, used to collect or distribute energy such as light, sound, or radio waves. Parabolic reflectors are used to collect energy from a distant source and bring it to a common Focus , thus correcting spherical aberration found in simpler spherical reflectors....
.

The Olympic Torch Relay ends on the day of the opening ceremony in the central stadium of the Games. The final carrier is often kept secret until the last moment, and is usually a sports celebrity of the host country. The final bearer of the torch runs towards the cauldron, often placed at the top of a grand staircase, and then uses the torch to start the flame in the stadium. It is considered a great honor to be asked to light the Olympic Flame. After being lit, the flame continues to burn throughout the Olympics, and is extinguished on the day of the closing ceremony.

Since the first Olympic games celebrated in modern time, the Olympic Torch has become a symbol of the peace between the continents (as well as the Olympians that share this role in our modern celebration).

History


Ancient Olympics

For the ancient Greeks, fire had divine connotations — it was thought to have been stolen from the gods by Prometheus
Prometheus

In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to human beings for their use....
. Therefore, fire was also present at many of the sanctuaries in Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
, Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
. A fire permanently burned on the altar of Hestia
Hestia

In Greek mythology, virginal Hestia, daughter of Cronus and Rhea , is the goddess of the hearth, of the right ordering of domesticity and the family, who received the first offering at every sacrifice in the household....
 in Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
, Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
. During the Olympic Games, which honored Zeus
Zeus

Zeus in Greek mythology is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky father and List of thunder gods. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull , and oak....
, additional fires were lit at his temple and that of his wife, Hera
Hera

In the Twelve Olympians of classical Greek Mythology, Hera or Here was the wife and older sister of Zeus. Her chief function was as goddess of women and marriage....
. The modern Olympic flame is ignited at the site where the temple of Hera used to stand.

The modern era


The Olympic Flame from the ancient games was reintroduced during the 1928 Games
1928 Summer Olympics

The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands....
. An employee of the Electric Utility of Amsterdam, lit the first Olympic flame in the Marathon Tower of the Olympic Stadium
Olympisch Stadion (Amsterdam)

The Olympisch Stadion was built as the main stadium for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. When completed, the stadium had a capacity of 31,600....
 in Amsterdam.

The modern convention of moving the Olympic Flame via a relay system from Olympia to the Olympic venue began with the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics

The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Nazi Germany....
 in Berlin
Berlin

Berlin is the Capital of Germany city and one of sixteen States of Germany of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city....
, Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
.

The relay, captured in Leni Riefenstahl
Leni Riefenstahl

Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a Germany film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker....
's film Olympia
Olympia (1938 film)

'Olympia' is a 1938 in film film by Leni Riefenstahl documenting the 1936 Summer Olympics, held in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The movie was produced in two parts: Olympia 1....
, was part of the Nazi propaganda machine’s attempt to add myth and mystique to Adolf Hitler’s regime. Hitler saw the link with the ancient Games as the perfect way to illustrate his belief that classical Greece was an Aryan
Aryan race

The Aryan race is a concept in European culture that was influential in the period of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive Race ....
 forerunner of the modern German Reich.

Although most of the time the torch with the Olympic Flame is still carried by runners, it has been transported in many different ways. The fire travelled by boat in 1948 to cross the English Channel
English Channel

The English Channel is an Arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest, to only in the Strait of Dover....
 and was carried by rowers in Canberra
Canberra

Canberra is the List of Australian capital cities of Australia. With a population of over 340,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall....
 as well as by dragon boat
Dragon boat

A dragon boat or "dragonboat" is a very long and narrow, canoe style human-powered transport boat now used in the team paddling team sport of dragon boat racing which originated in China over 2000 years ago....
 in Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
 in 2008, and it was first transported by airplane
Fixed-wing aircraft

A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of heavier-than-air flight whose Lift is generated not by wing motion relative to the aircraft, but by forward motion through the air....
 in 1952, when the fire travelled to Helsinki
Helsinki

Helsinki is the Capital and largest List of cities and towns in Finland of Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea....
. In 1956, all carriers in the torch relay to Stockholm
Stockholm

is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish Government of Sweden, the Parliament of Sweden, and the official residence of the Swedish Monarchy of Sweden....
, where the equestrian events were held instead of in Melbourne, travelled on horseback.

Remarkable means of transportation were used in 1976, when the flame was transformed to a radio signal. From Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
, this signal was transmitted by satellite
Satellite

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an Physical body which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
 to Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, where it was received and used to trigger a laser
Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process called stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation....
 beam to re-light the flame. This distinctive 1976 torch was manufactured by John L. Saksun's The Queensway Machine Products Ltd. In 2000, the torch was carried under water by divers near the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately ....
. Other unique means of transportation include a Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples....
 canoe
Canoe

A canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes usually are pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be covered....
, a camel
Camel

Camels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and is well known for its healthy low fat milk, and the Bactrian camel has two humps....
, and the Concorde
Concorde

The A?rospatiale-BAC Concorde aircraft is a supersonic passenger airliner or supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of A?rospatiale and British Aircraft Corporation....
. In 2004
2004 Olympic Torch Relay

The 2004 Summer Olympics Torch Relay took the Olympic flame across every habitable continent, returning to Athens, Greece. Every city which had hosted the Summer Olympics was revisited by the torch, as well as several other cities chosen for their international importance....
, the first global torch relay was undertaken, a journey that lasted 78 days. The Olympic flame covered a distance of more than 78,000 km in the hands of some 11,300 torchbearers, travelling to Africa and South America for the first time, visiting all previous Olympic cities and finally returning to Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 for the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries....
.

The climactic transfer of the flame from the torches to the cauldron at the host stadium concludes the relay and marks the symbolic commencement of the Games. Perhaps one of the most spectacular of these ceremonies took place at the 1992 Barcelona Games
1992 Summer Olympics

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain in 1992....
, when Paralympic archer
Archery

Archery is the art, practice or skill of shooting with Bow and arrow. Archery has historically been used in hunting and combat and has become a precision sport....
 Antonio Rebollo
Antonio Rebollo

Antonio Rebollo is the paralympic Archery who lit the Olympic Flame by shooting an arrow over it, during the Opening Ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona....
 ignited the cauldron by shooting a burning arrow over it from the stage in the stadium. The arrow wasn't intended to make it into the cauldron, but to pass over a stream of natural gas
Natural gas

Natural gas is a gas consisting primarily of methane. It is found associated with fossil fuels, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is created by methanogenic organisms in marshes, bogs, and landfills....
 which keeps the cauldron burning once activated. However, an enterprising news crew had stationed themselves outside the stadium and their footage shows that the arrow well and truly missed the cauldron vertically. Official footage from inside the stadium also shows the flame igniting from the base not from a gas stream above the cauldron and the ignition lacks the characteristic flare that would arise had a necessarily large volume of flammable gas been present in the air. Given that natural gas is heavier than air, this would have presented a fire hazard as the flammable gas would have sunk and the flame would have extended well below the height of the cauldron. Two years later
1994 Winter Olympics

The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway....
, the Olympic fire was brought into the stadium of Lillehammer
Lillehammer

is a List of cities in Norway and Municipalities of Norway in Oppland Counties of Norway, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics....
 by a ski jumper
Ski jumping

Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down an "inrun" with a take-off ramp , attempting to go as far as possible. In addition to the length that skiers jump, judges give points for style....
. In Beijing 2008, Li Ning
Li Ning

Li Ning is a well-known and well-respected Chinese gymnast and entrepreneur. He was born in a Zhuang_people family on September 8, 1963 in Liuzhou, Guangxi, China....
 'ran' on air around the Bird's Nest and lit the flame.

Below is a list of all Olympic torch relays.

Summer Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games

The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee....


Site of the Olympic Games Days Total length (in km) Total number of torchbearers Route
Berlin 1936
1936 Summer Olympics

The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Nazi Germany....
 8 3,422 3,422 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 – Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki , Thessalonica, or Salonica is the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country in Greece and the capital of Macedonia , the nation's largest Regions of Greece....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) – Sofia
Sofia

Sofia , is the Capital and largest city of the Bulgaria, with 2,5 million people living in the Capital Municipality. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, economic, and educational centre of the country....
 (Bulgaria
Bulgaria

The state of Bulgaria , Scientific transliteration Balgarija, officially the Republic of Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries....
) – Belgrade
Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on international waterway, at the confluence of the Sava River and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkan Peninsula....
 (Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia

File:LocationYugoslavia2.pngYugoslavia is a term that describes three political entities that existed successively on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century....
) – Budapest
Budapest

Budapest is the Capitals of Hungary of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political, cultural, commerce, Industry, and transportation center and is considered an important hub in Central Europe....
 (Hungary
Hungary

Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....
) – Vienna
Vienna

Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
 (Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
) – Prague
Prague

Prague is the Capital and World's largest cities of the Czech Republic. Its official name is Hlavn? mesto Praha, meaning Prague, the Capital City....
 (Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918 until 1992 . On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia dissolution of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia....
) – Dresden
Dresden

Dresden is the capital city of the Germany Federal Free state of Saxony. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon triangle metropolitan area....
 – Berlin
Berlin

Berlin is the Capital of Germany city and one of sixteen States of Germany of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city....
 (Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
)
London 1948
1948 Summer Olympics

The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, United Kingdom....
 13 7,870 3,372 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Corfu
Corfu

Corfu is a Greece list of islands of Greece in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and lies off the coast of Sarand?, Albania, from which it is separated by straits varying in breadth from 3 to 23 km , including one near ancient Butrint and a longer one west of Thesprotia....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by ship) Bari
Bari

Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic sea, in Italy. It is the second economic centre of mainland Southern Italy and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas....
 – Milan
Milan

Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy....
 (Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
) – Lausanne
Lausanne

Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French language-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva , and facing ?vian-les-Bains and with the Jura mountains to its north-west....
 – Geneva
Geneva

Geneva is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie . Situated where the Rh?ne River exits Lake Geneva , it is the capital of the Canton of Geneva....
 (Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
) – Besançon
Besançon

Besan?on , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comt? Regions of France in eastern France, with approximately 220,000 inhabitants in the aire urbaine in 1999....
 – Metz
Metz

Metz is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine R?gion in France and prefecture of the Moselle Departments of France.It is located at the confluence of the Moselle River and the Seille rivers....
 (France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
) – Luxembourg
Luxembourg (city)

The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a Communes of Luxembourg with List of cities in Luxembourg, and the Capital of the Luxembourg....
 (Luxembourg
Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany....
) – Brussels
Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium....
 (Belgium
Belgium

* A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
) – Lille
Lille

Lille is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Urban Community of Lille M?tropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille....
 – Calais
Calais

Calais is a town in northern France in the Departments of France of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
 (France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
) (by ship)– Dover
Dover

Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel....
 – London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 (Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
) A second relay carried the flame from Wembley, where the Games were based, to the sailing centre at Torbay
Torbay

Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth....
, via Slough
Slough

Slough is a Borough status in the United Kingdom and unitary authority area within the Ceremonial counties of England of Berkshire, England, situated west of London....
, Basingstoke
Basingstoke

Basingstoke is a town#England and Wales in northeast Hampshire, England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading, Berkshire, and northeast of the county town, Winchester....
, Salisbury
Salisbury

Salisbury is a city status in the United Kingdom in Wiltshire, England. The city forms the largest part of the Salisbury . It has also been called New Sarum to distinguish it from the original site of settlement at Salisbury, Old Sarum, but this alternative name is not in common use....
, and Exeter
Exeter

Exeter Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Roman Britain and has existed since time immemorial. Exeter Cathedral, founded in 1050 is Anglicanism....
.
Helsinki 1952
1952 Summer Olympics

The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952....
 20 3,365 1,416 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Aalborg
Aalborg

Aalborg is a city in Denmark. Its population, as of 2008, is 121,818, making it the fourth largest in the country after Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense....
 - Odense
Odense

The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark. The name Odense comes from the Norse god Odin.Odense city has 158,163 inhabitants, as of January 1, 2008 and is the main city of the island of Funen....
 - Copenhagen
Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,153,615 . Copenhagen is situated on the Islands of Zealand and Amager....
 (Denmark
Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
) (by ship) Malmö
Malmö

is the third most populous urban areas in Sweden in Sweden, situated in its southernmost province of Scania.Malm? is the seat of Malm? Municipality and the capital of Sk?ne County....
 - Gothenburg
Gothenburg

Gothenburg ) is the second largest city in Sweden after Stockholm and the fifth largest amongst the Nordic countries. The city is located on the south west-coast....
 - Stockholm
Stockholm

is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish Government of Sweden, the Parliament of Sweden, and the official residence of the Swedish Monarchy of Sweden....
 (Sweden
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
) Tornio
Tornio

Tornio is a municipalities of Finland in Lapland, Finland, Finland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water....
 - Oulu
Oulu

Oulu is a List of cities and towns in Finland and Municipalities of Finland of inhabitants in the Provinces of Finland of Oulu and the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland....
 - Helsinki
Helsinki

Helsinki is the Capital and largest List of cities and towns in Finland of Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea....
 (Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
). A second flame was lit in Pallastunturi (Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
) and joined the main one in Tornio
Tornio

Tornio is a municipalities of Finland in Lapland, Finland, Finland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water....
Melbourne 1956
1956 Summer Olympics

The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the Equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations....
 21 20,470 3,118 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory

Darwin is the List of Australian capital cities of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 120,900, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely peopled Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities....
 - Brisbane
Brisbane

Brisbane is the state List of Australian capital cities of Queensland and its most populous city. It is also the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, behind southern rivals Sydney and Melbourne....
 - Sydney
Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
 - Canberra
Canberra

Canberra is the List of Australian capital cities of Australia. With a population of over 340,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall....
 - Melbourne
Melbourne

Melbourne is the more common name for the geographic region and Census in Australia of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It is the second List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million and serves as the List of Australian capital cities of Victoria ....
 (Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
)
Stockholm 1956
Equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics

The Equestrian Events at the 1956 Summer Olympics were held in Stockholm due to the Australian quarantine regulations and included Dressage, Eventing, and Show Jumping....
 (equestrian Games)		 9 1,000 490 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Copenhagen
Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,153,615 . Copenhagen is situated on the Islands of Zealand and Amager....
 (Denmark
Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
) (by ship) Malmö
Malmö

is the third most populous urban areas in Sweden in Sweden, situated in its southernmost province of Scania.Malm? is the seat of Malm? Municipality and the capital of Sk?ne County....
 - Stockholm
Stockholm

is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish Government of Sweden, the Parliament of Sweden, and the official residence of the Swedish Monarchy of Sweden....
 (Sweden
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
)
Rome 1960
1960 Summer Olympics

The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Rome, Italy, in 1960....
 14 2,750 1,529 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by ship) Syracuse
Syracuse, Italy

Syracuse is a historic city in southern Italy, the Capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is noted for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture and association to Archimedes, playing an important role in ancient times as one of the top powers of the Mediterranean world; it is over 2,700 years old....
 - Catania
Catania

Catania is an Italy city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse, Sicily. It is the capital of the Province of Catania, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city on the island....
 - Messina - Reggio Calabria
Reggio Calabria

Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is a city in southern Italy Italy, the Capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria as well as the largest and oldest city in the Calabria region....
 - Naples
Naples

Naples is a city in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old....
 - Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
 (Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
)
Tokyo 1964
1964 Summer Olympics

The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964....
 51 20,065 870 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Istanbul
Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
 (Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
) - Beirut
Beirut

Beirut is the Capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut District area, which consists of the city and its suburbs....
 (Lebanon
Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
) - Tehran
Tehran

Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran, and the administrative center of Tehran Province. Tehran is a sprawling city at the foot of the Alborz mountain range with an immense network of highways unparalleled in Western Asia....
 (Iran
Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
) - Lahore
Lahore

is the capital of the Pakistani Subdivisions of Pakistan of Punjab and is the List of most populated metropolitan areas in Pakistan city in Pakistan after Karachi....
 (Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
) - New Delhi
New Delhi

New Delhi is the capital city of India. With a total area of 42.7 km2, New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi and serves as the seat of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi ....
 (India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
) - Rangoon (Burma) - Bangkok
Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is the Capital , largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai language as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Krung Thep for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom and came to the forefront of Thailand when it was given the status as the...
 (Thailand
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
) - Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur , is the largest city of Malaysia. The city proper, making up an area of , has an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2006. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million....
 (Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
) - Manila
Manila

The 'City of Manila' , or simply 'Manila', is the Capital of the Philippines and one of the 17 cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila....
 (Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
) - Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
 (Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
) - Taipei
Taipei

Taipei has been the de facto capital of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, since the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and the capital of Taiwan since Japanese rule that began in 1895....
 (Republic of China
Republic of China

The Republic of China , also known as Nationalist China is a country in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition into a multi-party democratic state with Political status of Taiwan....
) - Okinawa
Okinawa Island

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of . It is the 'home' of karate....
 - Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
 (Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, following four different routes)
Mexico City 1968
1968 Summer Olympics

The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City in October 1968....
 51 13,620 2,778 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by ship) Genoa
Genoa

Genoa is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. The city has a population of about 610,000 and the urban area has a population of about 900,000....
 (Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
) (by ship) Barcelona
Barcelona

Barcelona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous communities of Spain of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008, while the population of the Metropolitan Area was 3,161,081....
 - Madrid
Madrid

Madrid is the Capital and largest city of Spain. It is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its Madrid metropolitan area is the Largest urban areas of the European Union in the European Union after Paris aire urbaine, Greater London Urban Area, a...
 - Sevilla - Palos
Palos

Palos can refer to:*Two drums, the palos major and palos menor, used in the music of the Dominican Republic*Palos de la Frontera, a municipality in Spain...
 (by ship) Las Palmas (Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
) - San Salvador Island
San Salvador Island

San Salvador Island, also known as Watling Island, is an island and Districts of the Bahamas of the Bahamas. Until 1986, when the National Geographic Society suggested Samana Cay, it was widely believed that during his first expedition to the New World, San Salvador Island was the first land sighted and visited by Christopher Colu...
 (Bahamas) - Veracruz
Veracruz

Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave is one of the 31 states of Mexico that constitute the republic of Mexico....
 - Mexico City
Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the most important economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country; the most populous city with over 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008....
 (Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
)
Munich 1972
1972 Summer Olympics

The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, in what was then West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
 30 5,532 6,000 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 - Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki , Thessalonica, or Salonica is the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country in Greece and the capital of Macedonia , the nation's largest Regions of Greece....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) - Istanbul
Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
 (Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
) - Varna
Varna

Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in Northern Bulgaria, third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, and Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits, with a population of 352,211....
 (Bulgaria
Bulgaria

The state of Bulgaria , Scientific transliteration Balgarija, officially the Republic of Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries....
) - Bucharest
Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the D?mbovita River....
 - Timisoara
Timisoara

Timi?oara , also known as "The City of Athletes", is a city in the Banat region of western Romania. It is the capital of Timis County.With 307,347 inhabitants, Timisoara is a large economic and cultural center in Banat in the west of the country....
 (Romania
Romania

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
) - Belgrade
Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on international waterway, at the confluence of the Sava River and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkan Peninsula....
 (Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia

File:LocationYugoslavia2.pngYugoslavia is a term that describes three political entities that existed successively on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century....
) - Budapest
Budapest

Budapest is the Capitals of Hungary of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political, cultural, commerce, Industry, and transportation center and is considered an important hub in Central Europe....
 (Hungary
Hungary

Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....
) - Vienna
Vienna

Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
 - Linz
Linz

Linz is the third largest city of Austria and capital of the States of Austria of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately 30 km south of the Czech Republic border, on both sides of the river Danube....
 - Salzburg
Salzburg

is the List of cities and towns in Austria#List of cities and towns by population size in Austria and the capital city of the states of Austria of Salzburg ....
 - Innsbruck
Innsbruck

Innsbruck is the Capital of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn River Valley at the junction with the Wipptal , which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some 30 km south of Innsbruck....
 (Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
) - Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a market town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen , in the Oberbayern region, not far from the border with Austria....
 - Munich
Munich

Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Munich is located on the River Isar north of the Northern Limestone Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg....
 (West Germany
West Germany

West Germany was the common English name for the Germany , from its formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when East Germany was dissolved and its States of Germany became part of the Federal Republic, ending the more than 40-year division of Germany....
)
Montreal 1976
1976 Summer Olympics

The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976....
 5 775 1,214 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (satellite transmission of an electronic pulse) Ottawa
Ottawa

Ottawa is the Capital of Canada. The city has population of 812,000, the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population municipality in the country and second largest in Ontario....
 - Montreal
Montreal

Montreal, or Montr?al, is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population....
 (Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
)
Moscow 1980
1980 Summer Olympics

The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Moscow in the Soviet Union....
 31 4,915 5,000 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 - Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki , Thessalonica, or Salonica is the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country in Greece and the capital of Macedonia , the nation's largest Regions of Greece....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) - Sofia
Sofia

Sofia , is the Capital and largest city of the Bulgaria, with 2,5 million people living in the Capital Municipality. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, economic, and educational centre of the country....
 (Bulgaria
Bulgaria

The state of Bulgaria , Scientific transliteration Balgarija, officially the Republic of Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries....
) - Bucharest
Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the D?mbovita River....
 (Romania
Romania

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
) - Kishinev
Chisinau

Chisinau , is the capital city and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial center and is located in the center of the country, on the river B?c River....
 - Kiev
Kiev

Kiev, also known as Kyiv , is the Capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River....
 - Tula
Tula, Russia

Tula is an industrial types of inhabited localities in Russia in the European part of Russia, located 193 km south of Moscow, on the river Upa River....
 - Moscow
Moscow

Moscow is the capital and the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia of the Russian Federation. It is also the largest European cities and metropolitan areas, with the Moscow metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world....
 (USSR)
Los Angeles 1984
1984 Summer Olympics

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984....
 83 15,000 3,636 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 – Boston – Philadelphia – Washington
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 – Detroit – Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
 – Indianapolis – Atlanta – St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri, located near the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. St....
 – Dallas – Denver – Salt Lake City – Seattle – San Francisco – Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
 (USA)
Seoul 1988
1988 Summer Olympics

The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea....
 26 15,250 1,467 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Jeju
Jeju City

Jeju is the capital of Jeju-do in South Korea and the largest city on the island of Jeju. Its geographical location is . The city is served by Jeju International Airport ....
 - Pusan - Seoul
Seoul

Seoul is the Capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, It is one of the world's List of cities proper by population.The Seoul National Capital Area - which includes the major port city of Incheon and satellite towns in Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million inhabitants and is the world's second largest List of me...
 (South Korea
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
)
Barcelona 1992
1992 Summer Olympics

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain in 1992....
 51 6,307 10,448 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by ship) Empúries
Empúries

Emp?ries is a town on the Mediterranean coast, of the Comarques of Catalonia of Alt Empord? . It was founded in 575 BC by Greek colonists from Phocaea with the name of ??p????? ....
 - Bilbao
Bilbao

Bilbao, is the largest city in the Basque Country in northern Spain and the capital of the province of Biscay .The city has 354,145 inhabitants and is the most financially and industrially active part of Greater Bilbao, the zone in which almost half of the Basque Country?s population lives....
 - La Coruña - Madrid
Madrid

Madrid is the Capital and largest city of Spain. It is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its Madrid metropolitan area is the Largest urban areas of the European Union in the European Union after Paris aire urbaine, Greater London Urban Area, a...
 - Sevilla - Las Palmas - Málaga
Málaga

M?laga is a port city in Andalusia, southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol coast of the Mediterranean. At the 2007 census the population is 576,725....
 - Valencia
Valencia (city in Spain)

Valencia is the capital of the Spanish Valencia and its Valencia . It is the third largest city in Spain and the 21st largest in the European Union....
 - Palma de Mallorca
Palma de Mallorca

Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the Autonomous communities of Spain of the Balearic Islands in Spain....
 – Barcelona
Barcelona

Barcelona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous communities of Spain of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008, while the population of the Metropolitan Area was 3,161,081....
 (Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
)
Atlanta 1996
1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
 112 29,016 13,267 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
 – Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, Nevada, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and entertainment....
 – San Francisco – Seattle – Salt Lake City – Denver – Dallas – St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri, located near the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. St....
 – Minneapolis – Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
 – Detroit - Boston – New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 – Philadelphia – Washington
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 – Miami – Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in the United States state of Alabama and is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama. It also includes part of Shelby County, Alabama....
 - Atlanta (USA)
Sydney 2000
2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 13 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
 127 27,000 13,300 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Guam
Guam

Guam , officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized, unincorporated insular area of the United States....
 - Palau
Palau

Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an borderless country in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles east of the Philippines and 2,000 miles south of Tokyo....
 - Federated States of Micronesia
Federated States of Micronesia

The Federated States of Micronesia is an island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, north of Papua New Guinea. The country is a sovereign state in Associated state with the United States....
 - Nauru
Nauru

Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island nation in the Micronesian Pacific Ocean....
 - Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands

For the group of islands rather than the nation, see Solomon Islands .The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands....
 -Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands ....
 - Vanuatu
Vanuatu

Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and south of the Solomon Islands, near New Zealand....
 - Samoa
Samoa

Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa , is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean....
 - American Samoa
American Samoa

American Samoa is an Territories of the United States of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa....
 - Cook Islands
Cook Islands

The Cook Islands are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in Associated state with New Zealand. The fifteen small islands in this Pacific Ocean country have a total land area of 240 square kilometres , but the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone covers 1.8 million square kilometres of ocean....
 - Tonga
Tonga

The Kingdom of Tonga in the south Pacific Ocean comprises an archipelago of 171 islands, 48 of them inhabited, stretching over a distance of about 800 kilometres in a north-south line....
 - Fiji
Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands , is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu....
 - Queenstown
Queenstown

Queenstown is the name of several places in the world including:*Queenstown, Maryland, United States*Queenstown, New Zealand, a resort town in Otago, New Zealand...
 - Christchurch
Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest Urban areas of New Zealand. It is midway down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of Christchurch....
 - Wellington
Wellington

Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand, situated at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington Urban Area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and ranks as New Zealand's third most populous Urban areas of New Zealand with residents....
 - Rotorua
Rotorua

Rotorua is a city on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand, and Rotorua District is the encompassing local authority area....
 - Auckland
Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban areas of New Zealand with over 1.3 million residents, percent of the country's population....
 (New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
) - Uluru
Uluru

Uluru, also referred to as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia....
 - Brisbane
Brisbane

Brisbane is the state List of Australian capital cities of Queensland and its most populous city. It is also the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, behind southern rivals Sydney and Melbourne....
 - Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory

Darwin is the List of Australian capital cities of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 120,900, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely peopled Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities....
 - Perth
Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the List of Australian capital cities and largest city of the Australian States and territories of Australia of Western Australia. With a population of 1,554,769 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
 - Adelaide
Adelaide

Adelaide is the List of Australian capital cities and most populous city of the Australian States and territories of Australia of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million....
 - Melbourne
Melbourne

Melbourne is the more common name for the geographic region and Census in Australia of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It is the second List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million and serves as the List of Australian capital cities of Victoria ....
 - Canberra
Canberra

Canberra is the List of Australian capital cities of Australia. With a population of over 340,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall....
 - Sydney
Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
 (Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
)
Athens 2004 142 86,000 11,360 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Marathonas - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Sydney
Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
 - Melbourne
Melbourne

Melbourne is the more common name for the geographic region and Census in Australia of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It is the second List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million and serves as the List of Australian capital cities of Victoria ....
 (Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
) - Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
 (Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
) - Seoul
Seoul

Seoul is the Capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, It is one of the world's List of cities proper by population.The Seoul National Capital Area - which includes the major port city of Incheon and satellite towns in Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million inhabitants and is the world's second largest List of me...
 (South Korea
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
) - Beijing
Beijing

is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
 (People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
) - Delhi
Delhi

Delhi , sometimes referred to as Dilli , is the List of most populous cities in India metropolis in India and, with over 11 million residents, the List of metropolitan areas by population....
 (India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
) - Cairo
Cairo

Cairo , which means "the triumphant", is the Cairo and largest city of Egypt.It is the most populous metropolitan area in Egypt and is also one of the most populous in the world....
 (Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
) - Cape Town
Cape Town

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
 (South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
) - Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , is the second largest city of Brazil and South America, behind S?o Paulo, and the third largest metropolitan area in South America, behind S?o Paulo and Buenos Aires....
 (Brazil
Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
) - Mexico City
Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the most important economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country; the most populous city with over 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008....
 (Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
) - Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
 - St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri, located near the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. St....
 - Atlanta - New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 (USA) - Montreal
Montreal

Montreal, or Montr?al, is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population....
 (Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
) - Antwerp
Antwerp

||-||-||-||}Antwerp is a city and municipality in Belgium and the capital of the Antwerp in Flanders, one of Belgium's three regions....
 - Brussels
Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium....
 (Belgium
Belgium

* A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
) - Amsterdam
Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the Capital of the Netherlands and List of cities in the Netherlands with over 100,000 people of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands of North Holland in the west of the country....
 (Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
) - Lausanne
Lausanne

Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French language-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva , and facing ?vian-les-Bains and with the Jura mountains to its north-west....
 - Geneva
Geneva

Geneva is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie . Situated where the Rh?ne River exits Lake Geneva , it is the capital of the Canton of Geneva....
 (Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
) - Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 (France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
) - London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 (Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
) - Madrid
Madrid

Madrid is the Capital and largest city of Spain. It is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its Madrid metropolitan area is the Largest urban areas of the European Union in the European Union after Paris aire urbaine, Greater London Urban Area, a...
 - Barcelona
Barcelona

Barcelona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous communities of Spain of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008, while the population of the Metropolitan Area was 3,161,081....
 (Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
) - Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
 (Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
) - Munich
Munich

Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Munich is located on the River Isar north of the Northern Limestone Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg....
 - Berlin
Berlin

Berlin is the Capital of Germany city and one of sixteen States of Germany of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city....
 (Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
) - Stockholm
Stockholm

is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish Government of Sweden, the Parliament of Sweden, and the official residence of the Swedish Monarchy of Sweden....
 (Sweden
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
) - Helsinki
Helsinki

Helsinki is the Capital and largest List of cities and towns in Finland of Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea....
 (Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
) - Moscow
Moscow

Moscow is the capital and the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia of the Russian Federation. It is also the largest European cities and metropolitan areas, with the Moscow metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world....
 (Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
) - Kiev
Kiev

Kiev, also known as Kyiv , is the Capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River....
 (Ukraine
Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
) - Istanbul
Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
 (Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
) - Sofia
Sofia

Sofia , is the Capital and largest city of the Bulgaria, with 2,5 million people living in the Capital Municipality. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, economic, and educational centre of the country....
 (Bulgaria
Bulgaria

The state of Bulgaria , Scientific transliteration Balgarija, officially the Republic of Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries....
) - Nicosia
Nicosia

Nicosia, known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is located at . Located on the River Pedieos and situated almost in the centre of the island, it is the seat of government as well as the main business centre....
 (Cyprus
Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is an island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, west of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, south of Turkey and north of Egypt....
) - Iraklion - Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki , Thessalonica, or Salonica is the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country in Greece and the capital of Macedonia , the nation's largest Regions of Greece....
 - Patras
Patras

Patras is Greece's third largest urban centre and the capital of the prefecture of Achaea, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens....
 - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
)
Beijing 2008
2008 Summer Olympics torch relay

The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream"....
 130 137,000 21,880Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 - Marathonas - Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Beijing
Beijing

is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
 (People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
) (by airplane) Almaty
Almaty

Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of 1,348,500 , which represents 9% of the population of the country.It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1998....
 (Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a large Eurasian country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the List of countries by area as well as the world's largest landlocked country, it has a territory of 2,727,300 km? ....
) (by airplane) Istanbul
Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
 (Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
) (by airplane) St. Petersburg (Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
) (by airplane) London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 (Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
) – Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 (by airplane) San Francisco (USA) (by airplane) Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southern shore of the R?o de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent....
 (Argentina
Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
) (by airplane) Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre....
 (Tanzania
Tanzania

Tanzania , officially the United Republic of Tanzania , is a country in East Africa that is bordered by Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south....
) – Muscat
Muscat, Oman

Muscat is the Capital and largest city of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Muscat . As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797....
 (Oman
Oman

Oman , officially the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab country in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab Emirates on the northwest, Saudi Arabia on the west and Yemen on the southwest....
) – Islamabad
Islamabad

Islamabad is the Capital of Pakistan, and is the tenth largest city in Pakistan. The Rawalpindi/Islamabad List of most populous metropolitan areas in Pakistan is the third largest in Pakistan with a population of over 4.5 million inhabitants, 1.5 million in Islamabad and three million in Rawalpindi....
 (Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
) – Mumbai
Mumbai

Mumbai— formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper has approximately 14 million people and, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai forms the World's largest urban agglomerations according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report with around 19...
 (India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
) – Bangkok
Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is the Capital , largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai language as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Krung Thep for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom and came to the forefront of Thailand when it was given the status as the...
 (Thailand
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
) – Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur , is the largest city of Malaysia. The city proper, making up an area of , has an estimated population of 1.6 million in 2006. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million....
 (Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
) – Jakarta
Jakarta

Jakarta is the Capital and largest city of Indonesia. It also has a List of urban areas by population than any other city in Southeast Asia. It was formerly known as Sunda Kelapa , Jayakarta , Batavia, Dutch East Indies , and Djakarta ....
 (Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
) – Canberra
Canberra

Canberra is the List of Australian capital cities of Australia. With a population of over 340,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall....
 (Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
) – Nagano (Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
) – Seoul
Seoul

Seoul is the Capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, It is one of the world's List of cities proper by population.The Seoul National Capital Area - which includes the major port city of Incheon and satellite towns in Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million inhabitants and is the world's second largest List of me...
 (South Korea
South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
) – Pyongyang
Pyongyang

Pyongyang is the Capital and largest city of North Korea, located on the Taedong River, at . According to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, it has a population of 3,255,388....
 (North Korea
North Korea

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula....
) – Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam. Under the name Prey Nokor it was the main port of Cambodia, before being annexed by the Vietnamese in the 17th century....
 (Vietnam
Vietnam

Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
) - Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
 – Macau
Macau

The Macau Special Administrative Region, , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong....
 – Sanya
Sanya

Sanya is the southernmost city in Hainan province, China. It has an area of 1919.6 square km and a population of 536,000 . After Haikou, it is the second most populous city of the island....
 - Wuzhishan
Wuzhishan

Wuzhishan may refer to:* Wuzhi Shan, a mountain in Chinese Island and province of Hainan* Wuzhishan City, a county-level city of Hainan province, China....
 - Wanning
Wanning

Wanning is a county-level city in SE Hainan province, China, with an estimated population of 65,871 ....
 - Haikou
Haikou

Haikou , situated at the north of Hainan island, is the Capital of Hainan Province of the People's Republic of China and has an estimated population of 830,192 , therefore by far the largest city on the island....
 - Guangzhou
Guangzhou

'Guangzhou' is the Capital and a sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province of China in the northern and southern China part of the People's Republic of China....
 - Shenzhen
Shenzhen

Shenzhen is a city of sub-provincial city administrative status in southern China's Guangdong province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong....
 - Huizhou
Huizhou

Huizhou is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong province of China, People's Republic of China. Part of the Pearl River Delta, Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shaoguan to the north, Heyuan to the northeast, Shanwei to the east, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, and looks out to the South China Sea to the...
 - Shantou
Shantou

Shantou is a city of 4,971,000 permanent inhabitants in coastal Eastern Guangdong, China, occupying an area of 2,064 sq. km. With it and the immediately surrounding cities of Jieyang and Chaozhou, the metropolitan region - known as Chaoshan - covers an area of 10,404 sq.km....
 - Fuzhou
Fuzhou

is the capital and the largest prefecture-level city of Fujian Provinces of China, People's Republic of China. It is also referred to as Rongcheng which means "city of banyan trees" and Mindong ...
 - Quanzhou
Quanzhou

Quanzhou is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Fujian province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders all other prefecture-level cities in Fujian but two and faces the Taiwan Strait....
 - Xiamen
Xiamen

Xiamen, also known as Amoy , is a coastal sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian province of China, People's Republic of China. It looks out to the Taiwan Strait and borders Quanzhou to the north and Zhangzhou to the south....
 - Longyan
Longyan

Longyan is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Fujian province of China, People's Republic of China....
 - Ruijin
Ruijin

Ruijin is a county-level city of Ganzhou in the mountains bordering Fujian Province in south-eastern Jiangxi. The name derives from the ancient God, Rui Jin....
 - Jinggangshan
Jinggangshan

Jinggangshan is located in the Luoxian Mountains , in the remote border region between Jiangxi and Hunan provinces of China. It lies at the junction of four counties - Ninggang, Yongxin, Suichuan and Lingxian....
 - Nanchang
Nanchang

Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. Nanchang is famous for its scenic lakes, mountains, rich history and cultural sites.In June 2006, Nanchang is appraised as World Top Ten Dynamic Cities by US News Weekly....
 - Wenzhou
Wenzhou

Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province of China of the People's Republic of China. It has a population of 7,645,700 in 2007, with 1,423,600 residents in the urban area of the city....
 - Ningbo
Ningbo

Ningbo is a seaport with sub-provincial city. The city has a population of 2,182,000 and is situated in northeastern Zhejiang province of China, People's Republic of China....
 - Hangzhou
Hangzhou

is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang Provinces of China....
 - Shaoxing
Shaoxing

Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province of China, People's Republic of China. Lying on the south bank of the Qiantang River mouth, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west....
 - Jiaxing
Jiaxing

Jiaxing is a prefecture-level city in northern Zhejiang province of China, People's Republic of China. Lying on the Grand Canal of China, Jiaxing borders Hangzhou to the southwest, Huzhou to the west, Shanghai to the northeast, and the province of Jiangsu to the north....
 - Shanghai
Shanghai

Shanghai is the List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population in China and one of the List of metropolitan areas by population in the world, with over 20 million people....
 - Suzhou
Suzhou

Suzhou is a city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu, China. The city is renowned for its beautiful stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed Chinese garden which have contributed to its status as a great tourist attraction....
 - Nantong
Nantong

Nantong is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu province of China, People's Republic of China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River near the river mouth, Nantong is a vital river port bordering Yancheng to the north, Taizhou, Jiangsu to the west, Suzhou to the south across the river, and the East China Sea to the east....
 - Taizhou
Taizhou, Jiangsu

Taizhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu province of China, People's Republic of China. Situated on the north bank of the Yangtze River, it borders Nantong to the east, Yancheng to the north and Yangzhou to the west....
 - Yangzhou
Yangzhou

Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu province of China, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou, Jiangsu to the east, and Zhenjiang across the river to the south....
 - Nanjing
Nanjing

is the capital city of China's Jiangsu province of China, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and Chinese culture. Nanjing served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Historical capitals of China....
 - Hefei
Hefei

Hefei is a prefecture-level city and the capital of Anhui province of China, People's Republic of China. Located in central Anhui, it borders Huainan to the north, Chuzhou to the northeast, Chaohu to the southeast and Lu'an to the west....
 - Huainan
Huainan

})|-| Area| 2,596.4 km?|-| Population| 2,335,798 |-| GDP'- Total'- Per Capita|  Renminbi31.4 billion ?13,500 ...
 - Wuhu
Wuhu

})|-| Area| 3,317 square kilometre|-| Population| 2,245,600 |-| GDP'- Total'- Per Capita|  Renminbi34.507 billion ?15,366 ...
 - Jixi
Jixi

Jixi is a city with a population of 421,000 in the east of Heilongjiang district in the People's Republic of China. Jixi is on Muling River about 30 km from the border with Russia and 120 km from Khanka Lake....
 - Huangshan - Wuhan
Wuhan

is the capital of Hubei province, and is the most populous city in central People's Republic of China. It lies at the east of Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and Han River ....
 - Yichang
Yichang

Yichang is a prefecture-level city in Hubei province of China....
 - Jingzhou
Jingzhou

Jingzhou is a city in the Hubei province of the People's Republic of China, on the banks of the Yangtze River . Population : 6.3 million. Urban population: 1.56 million....
 - Yueyang
Yueyang

Yueyang is a prefecture-level city in the Hunan province of China, on the shores of Lake Dongting.The Yueyang metropolitan area occupies 5,799 sq....
 - Changsha
Changsha

Changsha is the capital city of Hunan, a province of south-central China, located on the lower reaches of Xiang river, a branch of the Yangtze River....
 - Shaoshan
Shaoshan

Shaoshan is a county-level city in Xiangtan, Hunan Province. It is most popularly known as the birthplace of Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China....
 - Guilin
Guilin

Guilin is a city in People's Republic of China, situated in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the west bank of the Lijiang River....
 - Nanning
Nanning

Nanning is the capital of Guangxi Autonomous regions of China in southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush tropical foliage....
 - Baise
Baïse

The Ba?se is a 188 km long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Garonne. Its source is in the foothills of the Pyrenees, near Lannemezan....
 - Kunming
Kunming

Kunming is a prefecture-level city and capital of Yunnan province, in southwestern China. Because of its year-round temperate climate, Kunming is often called the "Spring City" or "City of Eternal Spring" ....
 - Lijiang
Lijiang

Lijiang may refer to:*Lijiang City, prefecture-level city in Yunnan Province, China.*Old Town of Lijiang, World Heritage Site, in Lijiang City...
 - Shangri-La County
Shangri-La County

Shangri-La County is a primarily Tibetan county of China in northwestern Yunnan Province in southwest China and the capital of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture....
 - Guiyang
Guiyang

Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou Province, the People's Republic of China.Guiyang is located in central Guizhou province, situated on the east of the Yungui Plateau, and on the north bank of the Nanming River, a branch of the Wujiang River....
 - Kaili
Kaili

Kaili is a city in the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou province in China. It has a population of approximately 450,000....
 - Zunyi
Zunyi

Zunyi , known as the "Famous City in History", is one of the most important cities of Guizhou Province, the People's Republic of China.Zunyi is a prefecture-level city in Guizhou province in southwestern China ....
 - Chongqing
Chongqing

Chongqing is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China's four provinces of China-level municipality of China, and the only one in the less densely populated western region of China....
 - Guang'an
Guang'an

Guang'an is a prefecture-level city in eastern Sichuan province. It is most famous as the birthplace of China's former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping....
 - Mianyang
Mianyang

Mianyang is the second largest city in Sichuan Province, located in western China.Mianyang is noted for its beautiful scenery, long history, and deep cultural roots....
 - Guanghan
Guanghan

Guanghan is a Chinese city in Deyang, the province of Sichuan. The predominant industries are tourism, pharmaceuticals and the supply of building material....
 - Leshan
Leshan

Leshan is a prefecture-level city located in the Sichuan province of the People's Republic of China. Leshan is on the southwestern fringe of the Red Basin in southern Sichuan, about 120 km from Chengdu....
 - Zigong
Zigong

Zigong , ancient name Ziliujing and Gongjing, is a prefecture-level city and the third largest city in Sichuan Province, in southwest China. Zigong is located in the Sichuan Basin....
 - Yibin
Yibin

Yibin is a prefecture-level city in south central China, in southern Sichuan Province, located at the junction of the Minjiang River and Yangtze Rivers....
 - Chengdu
Chengdu

Chengdu , located in southwest People's Republic of China, is the capital of Sichuan provinces of China and a sub-provincial city. Chengdu is also one of the most important economic centers and transportation and communication hubs in Southwestern China....
 - Shannan Prefecture
Shannan Prefecture

Shannan Prefecture is a prefecture in the Southeastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It means 'South of the Mountains' in Chinese. It contains the ancient region of Yarlong, the birthplace of Tibetan civilisation....
 - Lhasa
Lhasa

Lhasa, sometimes spelled Lasa, is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. Lhasa is located at the foot of Mount Gephel....
 - Golmud
Golmud

Golmud, sometimes spelled Ge'ermu or Geermu is a county-level city of Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province, China....
 - Qinghai Hu - Xining
Xining

Xining in Chinese or Silung in Tibetan is the Capital of Qinghai Province, People's Republic of China....
 - Ürümqi
Ürümqi

Urumchi or ?r?mqi, sometimes spelled Wulumuqi is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the Northwestern China of the country....
 - Kashi - Shihezi
Shihezi

Shihezi is a sub-prefecture-level city in northern Xinjiang. Its population is about 553,000 , with the majority of the residents being Han Chinese and Nationalities of China making up 5.4% of the population....
 - Changji
Changji

Changji is a county-level city of about 192,000 inhabitants , in the Region of Xinjiang of the People's Republic of China. Changji is the seat of Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture....
 - Dunhuang
Dunhuang

Dunhuang is a city in Jiuquan, Gansu province of China, China. It is sited in an oasis....
 - Jiayuguan
Jiayuguan

Jiayuguan is a prefecture-level city in Gansu, China, with a population of 127,532 as of 2007. It is most famous for the nearby Jiayu Pass, the largest and most intact pass of the Great Wall of China....
 - Jiuquan
Jiuquan

Jiuquan is a "prefecture-level city" in the westernmost part of the Gansu province in China.The entire "prefecture-level city" stretches for more than 500 km from east to west, occupying 191,342 km?; its population as of 2002 was 962,000....
 - Tianshui
Tianshui

Tianshui is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China. Its population is approximately 3,500,000.Tianshui lies along the route of the ancient Northern Silk Road, through which much of trade occurred between China and the west....
 - Lanzhou
Lanzhou

Lanzhou is a prefecture-level city and capital of Gansu Province of China in northwestern China....
 - Zhongwei
Zhongwei

Zhongwei is a prefecture-level city of Ningxia, People's Republic of China.It has an area of 16986.1 km? and a population of 1,041,821....
 - Wuzhong
Wuzhong

Wuzhong is a prefecture-level city in the Ningxia autonomous region of China of the People's Republic of China.A Federation of Industry and Commerce is at Wuzhong....
 - Yinchuan
Yinchuan

Yinchuan is the Capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China, and former capital of the Western Xia Empire of the Tanguts....
 - Yan'an
Yan'an

Yan'an , is a city in the Shanbei region of Shaanxi province in China.Yan'an was the endpoint of the Long March, and the center of the Communist Party of China revolution from 1935 to 1948....
 - Yangling
Yangling

Yangling District is located on the plains of the Wei River , within the City of Xianyang in the Province of Shaanxi, People's Republic of China....
 - Xianyang
Xianyang

Xianyang is a city in Shaanxi province, near Xi'an. The city site was located a few kilometers to the northwest of present-day Xi'an. It has an area of 10,213 square kilometers and a population of 4,800,000....
 - Xi'an
Xi'an

Xi'an , is the Capital of the Shaanxi Provinces of China in the People's Republic of China and a sub-provincial city. As one of the oldest cities in Chinese history, Xi'an is one of the Historical capitals of China because it has been the capital of some of the most important Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history, including the Zh...
 - Yuncheng
Yuncheng

Yuncheng is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan and Shaanxi provinces to the south and west....
 - Pingyao
Pingyao

Pingyao is a China city and county in central Shanxi province. It lies about 715 km from Beijing and 80 km from the provincial capital, Taiyuan....
 - Taiyuan
Taiyuan

Taiyuan is a prefecture-level city and the capital of Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. In 2004, the city had a population of 3.4 million....
 - Datong
Datong

Datong is a city in the northern Shanxi Province in China, and is located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of 1090 meters....
 - Hohhot
Hohhot

Hohhot , sometimes spelled Huhehot or Huhhot, is a city in North-central China and the Capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....
 - Ordos
Ordos

Ordos can refer to:...
 - Baotou
Baotou

Baotou is a prefecture-level city and the largest city in Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China. The city's Mongolian name means "place with deer", and an alternate name in Chinese is "Deer City" ....
 - Chifeng
Chifeng

Chifeng is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It borders Xilin Gol League to the north and west, Tongliao to the northeast, and Chaoyang, Liaoning prefecture of Liaoning and Chengde prefecture of Hebei to the south....
 - Qiqihar
Qiqihar

Qiqihar is a major city in the Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China. It has 895,000 inhabitants. These are mainly Han Chinese and the resident minorities are, among others, Manchu, Daur, and Mongolians....
 - Daqing
Daqing

Daqing is a city in northeast China in the Heilongjiang Political divisions of China. The name means "Great Celebration".It was founded in 1959 to house workers extracting oil and gas from the Daqing oilfield and to host industries which could take advantage of the energy and petrochemicals....
 - Harbin
Harbin

is a sub-provincial city and the Capital of the Heilongjiang in Northeast China. It lies on the southern bank of the Songhua River. Harbin is ranked as the tenth largest city in China, serving as a key political, economic, scientific, cultural and communications center of Northeastern China....
 - Songyuan
Songyuan

Songyuan is a prefecture-level city in Jilin province, People's Republic of China....
 - Changchun
Changchun

Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin Provinces of China, located in the northeast of the People's Republic of China, in the centre of the Songliao Plain....
 - Jilin
Jilin

, is a political divisions of China of the People's Republic of China located in the Northeast China part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west....
 - Yanji
Yanji

Yanji is the capital List of administrative divisions of Jilin of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, within Jilin province of northeastern China....
 - Shenyang
Shenyang

Shenyang , or Mukden , is a sub-provincial city and capital city of Liaoning Provinces of China in Northeast China.Along with its nearby cities, Shenyang is an important industrial center in China, and the transportation and commercial centre of China's northeastern region....
 - Benxi
Benxi

Benxi is a prefecture-level city located in the Liaoning province of People's Republic of China, south-southeast of Shenyang. Population: 1567000....
 - Liaoyang
Liaoyang

Liaoyang is a city in China, Liaoning province, located in the middle of the heavily polluted Liaodong Peninsula. The city is situated on the T'ai-tzu River with a current population of 1,820,000....
 - Anshan - Dalian
Dalian

Dalian is the governing sub-provincial city in the eastern Liaoning Province of Northeast China. Dalian is China's northernmost Warm water port....
 - Yantai
Yantai

})|-| Area| 13,739.9 square kilometre|-| Coastline| 702.5 kilometre|-| Population| 6,468,200 |-| GDP'- Total'- Per Capita...
 - Weihai
Weihai

})|-| Area| 5,436 km?|-| Coastline| 985.9 km|-| Population- Municipality- Urban Area| 2,490,904 606,452 ...
 - Qingdao
Qingdao

, best known in the West by its Chinese Postal Map Romanization Tsingtao, is a major city in eastern Shandong province of China, People's Republic of China....
 - Rizhao
Rizhao

})|-| Area| 5,310 square kilometre|-| Coastline| 100 kilometre|-| Population| 2.78 million|-| GDP'- Total'- Per Capita...
 - Linyi
Linyi

})|-| Area| 17,251 square kilometre|-| Population| 10,080,000 |-| GDP'- Total'- Per Capita|  Renminbi101.2 billion?...
 - Qufu
Qufu

Qufu is a city in Shandong Province of China, China. It is located at 35Degree 36Minute of arc northern latitude and 117Degree , 02Minute of arc east of Greenwich, about 130 kilometer south of the provincial capital Jinan and 45 km northeast of the sub-provincial city Jining, Shandong....
 - Tai'an
Tai'an

})|-| Area| 7,762 square kilometre|-| Population| 5,499,000 |-| GDP'- Total'- Per Capita|  Renminbi73.21 billion ?13313 ...
 - Jinan
Jinan

Jinan is a sub-provincial city and the capital of Shandong Provinces of China, People's Republic of China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilization and has evolved into an important administrative, economic, and transportation hub....
 - Shangqiu
Shangqiu

Shangqiu is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders Kaifeng to the northwest, Zhoukou to the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Anhui to the northeast and southeast respectively....
 - Kaifeng
Kaifeng

Kaifeng , formerly known as Bianliang , Bianjing , Daliang , or simply Liang , is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China....
 - Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou

Zhengzhou , formerly called Zhengxian is a prefecture-level city, and the capital of Henan Province , People's Republic of China....
 - Luoyang
Luoyang

Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....
 - Anyang
Anyang

Anyang is a prefecture-level city in Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively....
 - Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang

Shijiazhuang is a prefecture-level city and the Capital of Hebei Province of China, China. It is about 320 km south of Beijing.Shijiazhuang is a newly industrialized city....
 - Qinhuangdao
Qinhuangdao

Qinhuangdao is a city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It is about 300 km east of Beijing, on the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea....
 - Tangshan
Tangshan

Tangshan is a mainly industrial prefecture-level city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It became known after the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, at least 8.2 on the Richter magnitude scale which flattened the city....
 – Tianjin
Tianjin

is the third largest city of the People's Republic of China in terms of urban population. Administratively it is one of the four municipality that have Political divisions of China status, reporting directly to the central government....
 – Beijing
Beijing

is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
 (People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
)


Winter Olympic Games
Winter Olympic Games

The Winter Olympic Games are a winter multi-sport event held every four years. They feature winter sports held on snow or ice, such as Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ice skating, bobsledding and ice hockey....


Site of the Olympic Games Days Total length (in km) Total number of torchbearers Route
Oslo 1952
1952 Winter Olympics

The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1952 in Oslo, Norway....
 2 225 94 Morgedal
Morgedal

Morgedal, of the municipality of Kviteseid in the county of Telemark Norway, is called the cradle of skiing.Morgedal, Norway is a village whose most famous residents were Sondre Norheim, known to be the father of modern skiing plus Torjus Hemmestveit and Mikkjel Hemmestveit....
 – Oslo
Oslo

is the Capital and largest List of cities in Norway in Norway.Metropolitan Oslo or the Greater Oslo Region makes up the third largest urban area in Scandinavia after Metropolitan Stockholm and Metropolitan Copenhagen....
 (Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
)
Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956
1956 Winter Olympics

The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy....
 5   Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
 (by airplane) Venice
Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy, the capital city of the Italian regions Veneto, a population of 271,251 . Together with Padua, Italy, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area ....
 – Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and municipality in Alps and the province of Belluno, Veneto, northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and apr?s-ski scene....
 (Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
)
Squaw Valley 1960
1960 Winter Olympics

The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated between February 18 and February 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California , California, United States ....
 19 960 700 Morgedal
Morgedal

Morgedal, of the municipality of Kviteseid in the county of Telemark Norway, is called the cradle of skiing.Morgedal, Norway is a village whose most famous residents were Sondre Norheim, known to be the father of modern skiing plus Torjus Hemmestveit and Mikkjel Hemmestveit....
 – Oslo
Oslo

is the Capital and largest List of cities in Norway in Norway.Metropolitan Oslo or the Greater Oslo Region makes up the third largest urban area in Scandinavia after Metropolitan Stockholm and Metropolitan Copenhagen....
 (Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
) (by airplane) Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
 – Fresno
Fresno, California

Fresno is a city in California, USA, the county seat of Fresno County, California, and the second largest inland city in the state, after San Jose, California....
 – Squaw Valley
Squaw Valley Ski Resort

The Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Squaw Valley, California , is one of the largest and most high-concept skiing areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics....
 (USA)
Innsbruck 1964
1964 Winter Olympics

The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964....
 8   Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Vienna
Vienna

Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
 – Innsbruck
Innsbruck

Innsbruck is the Capital of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn River Valley at the junction with the Wipptal , which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some 30 km south of Innsbruck....
 (Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
)
Grenoble 1968
1968 Winter Olympics

The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on February 6....
 50 7,222 5,000 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 – Strasbourg
Strasbourg

Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace Regions of France in northeastern France. With 702,412 inhabitants in 2007, its metropolitan area is the Aire urbaine....
 – Lyon
Lyon

||-||}Lyon, also known as Lyons in English, is a city in east-central France. Its name is pronounced in French language and Franco-Proven?al language, and or in English language....
 – Bordeaux
Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
 – Toulouse
Toulouse

Toulouse is a commune of France in southwest France on the banks of the Garonne, half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea....
 – Marseille
Marseille

"Marseille" is the second-largest city of France and forms the third-largest aire urbaine, after those of Paris and Lyon, with a population recorded to be 1,516,340 at the 1999 census and estimated to be 1,605,000 in 2007....
 – Nice
Nice

Nice is a city in Southern France France located on the Mediterranean Sea coast, between Marseille, France, and Genoa, Italy, with 1,197,751 inhabitants in the 2007 estimate....
 – Chamonix
Chamonix

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a town and Communes of France in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie d?partement in France, at the foot of Mont Blanc....
 – Grenoble
Grenoble

Grenoble is a city in southeastern France situated at the foot of the Alps where the Drac River joins the Is?re River.Located in the Rh?ne-Alpes regions of France, Grenoble is the capital of the Departments of France of Is?re....
 (France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
)
Sapporo 1972
1972 Winter Olympics

The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Japan....
 38 18,741 16,300 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Okinawa
Okinawa Island

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of . It is the 'home' of karate....
 (by airplane) Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
 – Sapporo (Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
)
Innsbruck 1976
1976 Winter Olympics

The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4-February 15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria....
 6 1,618  Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Vienna
Vienna

Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
 (route nr. 1) Linz
Linz

Linz is the third largest city of Austria and capital of the States of Austria of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately 30 km south of the Czech Republic border, on both sides of the river Danube....
 – Salzburg
Salzburg

is the List of cities and towns in Austria#List of cities and towns by population size in Austria and the capital city of the states of Austria of Salzburg ....
 – Innsbruck
Innsbruck

Innsbruck is the Capital of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn River Valley at the junction with the Wipptal , which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some 30 km south of Innsbruck....
 (route nr. 2) Graz
Graz

Graz , with a population of around 290,000 as of 2008 , is the List of cities and towns in Austria#List of cities and towns by population size in Austria after Vienna and the capital of the federal state of Styria ....
 – Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt

Klagenfurt am W?rthersee is the capital of the federal state of Carinthia in Austria. With a population of over 90,000 it is the sixth-largest city in the country....
 – Innsbruck
Innsbruck

Innsbruck is the Capital of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn River Valley at the junction with the Wipptal , which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some 30 km south of Innsbruck....
 (Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
)
Lake Placid 1980
1980 Winter Olympics

The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in February 13 through February 24, 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, New York, United States....
 15 12,824 52 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Shannon
Shannon, County Clare

Shannon or Shannon Town , named after the River Shannon near which it stands, is a new town located in County Clare and is one of only three planned towns on the island of Ireland, the others being the Northern Ireland town of Craigavon and the Mayo village of Westport, County Mayo....
 (Ireland
Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
) Langley Air Force Base
Langley Air Force Base

Langley Air Force Base is located three nautical miles north of the central business district of the city of Hampton, Virginia, Virginia, United States....
, Hampton
Hampton, Virginia

Hampton is an independent city in Virginia, and therefore not part of any Virginia county. One of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, it is on the southeast end of the Virginia Peninsula, bordering on Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay....
 – Washington
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 – Baltimore – Philadelphia – New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 – Albany
Albany, New York

Albany is the Capital of the state of New York and the county seat of Albany County, New York. Albany is roughly 136 miles north of the city of New York City, and slightly south of the confluence of the Mohawk River and Hudson Rivers....
 – Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
 (USA)
Sarajevo 1984
1984 Winter Olympics

The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was at the time part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
 11 5,289 1,600 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik

||-|File:Main street-Dubrovnik-2.jpg|-|File:Old City, Dubrovnik.jpg|-|File:Dubrovnik-F.Tudjman-Bridge.jpg|-|File:Onofrio's Fountain, Dubrovnik, Croatia.JPG...
 (route nr. 1) Split
Split (city)

Split is the largest Dalmatian city, the second-largest urban centre in Croatia, and the seat of Split-Dalmatia County. The city is situated on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, more specifically the eastern Adriatic Sea, spreading over a central peninsula and its surroundings, with its metropolitan area including the many surrounding lit...
 – Ljubljana
Ljubljana

Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia and its largest town. It is located in the center of the country and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants....
 – Zagreb
Zagreb

Zagreb is the Capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the Culture of Croatia, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Cinema of Croatia, Economy of Croatia and Government of Croatia center of the Croatia....
 - Sarajevo
Sarajevo

Sarajevo is the Capital and largest urban center of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,065 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 419,030 people in the Sarajevo Canton ....
 (route nr. 2) Skopje
Skopje

Skopje is the Capital of and List of cities in the Republic of Macedonia by population in the Republic of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country, as well as its political, cultural, economic, and academic centre....
 – Novi Sad
Novi Sad

Novi Sad is the capital city of the northern Subdivisions of Serbia of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Backa District.According to the 2002 Census, Novi Sad is Serbia's second city, after Belgrade, with around 300,000 inhabitants....
 – Belgrade
Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on international waterway, at the confluence of the Sava River and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkan Peninsula....
 – Sarajevo
Sarajevo

Sarajevo is the Capital and largest urban center of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,065 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 419,030 people in the Sarajevo Canton ....
 (Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia

File:LocationYugoslavia2.pngYugoslavia is a term that describes three political entities that existed successively on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century....
)
Calgary 1988
1988 Winter Olympics

The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Calgary, Alberta and opened by the List of Governors General of Canada: Jeanne Sauv?....
 95 18,000 6,250 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) St. John’s, Newfoundland – Québec City
Quebec City

Qu?bec or Quebec, also Quebec City or Qu?bec City , is the Capital of the Canada Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region....
 – Montreal
Montreal

Montreal, or Montr?al, is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population....
 – Ottawa
Ottawa

Ottawa is the Capital of Canada. The city has population of 812,000, the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population municipality in the country and second largest in Ontario....
 – Toronto
Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
 – Winnipeg
Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada. It is located near the longitude centre of North America, at the confluence of the historic Red River of the North and Assiniboine River Rivers, a point now commonly known as The Forks, Winnipeg....
 – Inuvik – Vancouver
Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest city in British Columbia and the second largest metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest region....
 – Edmonton
Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canada Provinces and territories of Canada of Alberta. The city is located on the North Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province, an area with some of the most fertile farmland on the prairies....
 – Calgary
Calgary

Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and High Plains, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies....
 (Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
)
Albertville 1992
1992 Winter Olympics

The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 in Albertville, France....
 58 5,500 5,500 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (on Concorde
Concorde

The A?rospatiale-BAC Concorde aircraft is a supersonic passenger airliner or supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of A?rospatiale and British Aircraft Corporation....
) Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 – Nantes
Nantes

Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants , while its aire urbaine is the eighth with 804,833 inhabitants at a 2008 estimate....
 – Le Havre
Le Havre

Le Havre is a city in the northwest region of France situated on the right bank of the mouth of the Seine River as it outlets into the Bay of the Seine section of the English Channel....
 – Lille
Lille

Lille is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Urban Community of Lille M?tropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille....
 – Strasbourg
Strasbourg

Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace Regions of France in northeastern France. With 702,412 inhabitants in 2007, its metropolitan area is the Aire urbaine....
 – Limoges
Limoges

Limoges is a city and Communes of France in France, the Prefectures in France of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, and the administrative capital of the Limousin Regions of France....
 – Bordeaux
Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
 – Toulouse
Toulouse

Toulouse is a commune of France in southwest France on the banks of the Garonne, half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea....
 – Ajaccio
Ajaccio

Ajaccio , is a Communes of France in France. It is the Capital of the region of Corsica and the Prefectures in France of the Departments of France of Corse-du-Sud....
 – Nice
Nice

Nice is a city in Southern France France located on the Mediterranean Sea coast, between Marseille, France, and Genoa, Italy, with 1,197,751 inhabitants in the 2007 estimate....
 – Marseille
Marseille

"Marseille" is the second-largest city of France and forms the third-largest aire urbaine, after those of Paris and Lyon, with a population recorded to be 1,516,340 at the 1999 census and estimated to be 1,605,000 in 2007....
 – Lyon
Lyon

||-||}Lyon, also known as Lyons in English, is a city in east-central France. Its name is pronounced in French language and Franco-Proven?al language, and or in English language....
 – Grenoble
Grenoble

Grenoble is a city in southeastern France situated at the foot of the Alps where the Drac River joins the Is?re River.Located in the Rh?ne-Alpes regions of France, Grenoble is the capital of the Departments of France of Is?re....
 – Albertville
Albertville

Albertville is a commune in France in the Savoie Departments of France in the Alps in southeastern France. The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics....
 (France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
)
Lillehammer 1994
1994 Winter Olympics

The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway....
 82 12,000  Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Morgedal
Morgedal

Morgedal, of the municipality of Kviteseid in the county of Telemark Norway, is called the cradle of skiing.Morgedal, Norway is a village whose most famous residents were Sondre Norheim, known to be the father of modern skiing plus Torjus Hemmestveit and Mikkjel Hemmestveit....
 – Bergen
Bergen

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway, with a population of 252 051 as of January 1st, 2009. Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county....
 – Trondheim
Trondheim

is a city and Municipalities of Norway in S?r-Tr?ndelag Counties of Norway, Norway. The city of Trondheim was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 ....
 – Tromsø
Tromsø

is a List of cities in Norway and Municipalities of Norway in Troms Counties of Norway, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Troms?....
 – Svalbard
Svalbard

Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. It consists of a group of islands ranging from 74th parallel north to 81st parallel north, and 10th meridian east to 35th meridian east....
 – Oslo
Oslo

is the Capital and largest List of cities in Norway in Norway.Metropolitan Oslo or the Greater Oslo Region makes up the third largest urban area in Scandinavia after Metropolitan Stockholm and Metropolitan Copenhagen....
 - Lillehammer
Lillehammer

is a List of cities in Norway and Municipalities of Norway in Oppland Counties of Norway, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics....
 (Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
)
Nagano 1998
1998 Winter Olympics

The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1998 in Nagano, Japan....
 51 3,486 6,901 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
 (route nr. 1) Hokkaido
Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectures of Japan....
 – Chiba
Chiba, Chiba

is the capital cities of Japan of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 40 km east of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Chiba City became a City designated by government ordinance in 1992....
 – Tokyo
Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
 – Nagano (route nr. 2) Okinawa – Hiroshima
Hiroshima

The Japanese city of is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, the largest of Japan's islands....
 – Kyoto
Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 – Nagano (route nr. 3) Kagoshima – Osaka
Osaka

is a Cities of Japan in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshu.Osaka is a City designated by government ordinance under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture....
 – Shizuoka
Shizuoka, Shizuoka

is the capital cities of Japan of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is a city designated by government ordinance ....
 – Nagano (Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
)
Salt Lake City 2002
2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States....
 85 21,275 12,012 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Atlanta – Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County....
 - Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Duval County, Florida. Since 1968, as a result of the Consolidated city-county of the city and county government , Jacksonville has been the List of United States cities by area city in land area in the continental United States....
 - St. Augustine, FL – Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a major city in Central Florida, United States and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Florida. It is also the principal city of Orlando-Kissimmee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area....
 - Miami – Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern United States United States state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama....
 – Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi

Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2000 United States Census recorded the population as 50,644....
 – New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans metropolitan area metropolitan area, the largest metro area in the state....
 - Houston – San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is the second-largest city in the state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population. Located in , the city is a cultural and geographical gateway into the ....
 – Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Travis County, Texas. Situated in Central Texas and part of the Southwestern United States, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 16th-largest in the United States....
 - Dallas – Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas

Little Rock is the Capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Pulaski County, Arkansas. The city's population was estimated at 184,422 in 2005....
 - Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County, Tennessee. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River ....
 - Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
 – Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is Kentucky's largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Kentucky. The city's estimated population as of 2006 is listed as 557,789, with a population of 1,233,733 in the Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area....
 – Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County, Ohio. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border....
– Pittsburgh – Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland, Maryland

Cumberland is a city in the far western portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area....
 – Washington
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 – Baltimore – Philadelphia – New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 - Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford is the Capital of the Connecticut. It is located in Hartford County, Connecticut on the Connecticut River, north of the center of the state, south of Springfield, Massachusetts....
 – Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the Capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, and one of the first cities established in the United States....
 - Boston – Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont

Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County, Vermont. With a population of 38,889 at the 2000 United States Census, the city is the core of one of the nation's smaller metropolitan areas, and is also the smallest U.S....
 - Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
 – Syracuse
Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is the fifth largest city in New York State, United States. According to the United States Census 2000, the city population was 147,306, and its Syracuse metropolitan area had a population of 732,117....
 - Cleveland - Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the Capital , the largest, and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located near the Geographic centers of the United States, Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County, Ohio, although parts of the city also extend into Delaware County, Ohio and Fairfield County, Ohio counties....
 – Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin and List of United States cities by population in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan....
 - Detroit – Fort Wayne – Indianapolis – Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World," it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region....
 – St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri, located near the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. St....
 - Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson County, Missouri, Clay County, Missouri, Cass County, Missouri, and Platte County, Missouri counties....
 – Omaha
Omaha

Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska, and the direct or indirect source of all other things named "Omaha"...
 – Wichita
Wichita

Wichita is the name of:*Wichita , a Native American tribe*Wichita language, the language of the tribe...
 - Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city

Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area...
 – Amarillo - Albuquerque - Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital and largest city in the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the fifth most populous city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,552,259 residents, and is the anchor of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area with 4,179,427 residents....
 – Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
 – San Francisco – Squaw Valley
Squaw Valley Ski Resort

The Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Squaw Valley, California , is one of the largest and most high-concept skiing areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics....
 – Reno
Reno

Reno may refer to:...
 – Portland
Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States United States, near the confluence of the Willamette River and Columbia River rivers in the state of Oregon....
 – Seattle – Juneau – Boise – Bozeman – Cheyenne
Cheyenne, Wyoming

Cheyenne is the capital of the United States U.S. state of Wyoming. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County, Wyoming....
 – Denver – Salt Lake City (USA)
Turin 2006
2006 Winter Olympics

The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006....
 75 11,300 10,000 Olympia
Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi....
 – Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
 (Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
) (by airplane) Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
 – Florence
Florence

Florence is the Capital city of the Italy Regions of Italy of Tuscany and of the provinces of Italy Province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany and has a population of 364,779 ....
 – Genoa
Genoa

Genoa is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. The city has a population of about 610,000 and the urban area has a population of about 900,000....
 – Cagliari
Cagliari

Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means the castle. It has about 160,000 inhabitants, or about 500,000 including the suburbs : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu Sant'Elena....
 – Palermo
Palermo

Palermo is a historic city in southern Italy, the Capital of the autonomous region Sicily and the province of Palermo. The city is noted for its rich history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old....
 – Naples
Naples

Naples is a city in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old....
 – Bari
Bari

Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic sea, in Italy. It is the second economic centre of mainland Southern Italy and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas....
 – Ancona
Ancona

Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche, a region of central Italy, population 101,909 . Ancona is situated on the Adriatic Sea and is the center of the province of Ancona and the capital of the region....
 (Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
) – San Marino
San Marino, San Marino

The City of San Marino is the Capital city of the Republic of San Marino on the Italy peninsula, near the Adriatic Sea. The city has a population of 4,493....
 (San Marino
San Marino

The Most Serene Republic of San Marino is a country in the Apennine Mountains. It is a landlocked country Enclave and exclave, completely surrounded by Italy....
) – Bologna
Bologna

Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, in the Po Valley , between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, exactly between the Reno River and the S?vena River....
 – Venice
Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy, the capital city of the Italian regions Veneto, a population of 271,251 . Together with Padua, Italy, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area ....
 – Trieste
Trieste

Trieste is a city and port in northeastern Italy very near to the Slovenian border, to the North, East, and South. Trieste is located at the head of the Gulf of Trieste on the Adriatic Sea....
 (Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
) Ljubljana
Ljubljana

Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia and its largest town. It is located in the center of the country and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants....
 (Slovenia
Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north....
) Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt

Klagenfurt am W?rthersee is the capital of the federal state of Carinthia in Austria. With a population of over 90,000 it is the sixth-largest city in the country....
 (Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
) Trento
Trento

Trento is an Italy city located in the Adige in Trentino-Alto Adige/S?dtirol. It is the capital of the region and of the Autonomous Province of Trento....
 – Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and municipality in Alps and the province of Belluno, Veneto, northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and apr?s-ski scene....
 – Milan
Milan

Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy....
 (Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
) Lugano
Lugano

Lugano is a town in the south of Switzerland, in the Linguistic geography of Switzerland cantons of Switzerland of Ticino, which borders Italy....
 (Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
) Bardonecchia
Bardonecchia

File:Torino location map winter olympics.PNGBardonecchia is an Italy town and comune located in the Province of Turin, in the Piedmont region, in the western part of Susa Valley....
 (Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
) Grenoble
Grenoble

Grenoble is a city in southeastern France situated at the foot of the Alps where the Drac River joins the Is?re River.Located in the Rh?ne-Alpes regions of France, Grenoble is the capital of the Departments of France of Is?re....
 – Albertville
Albertville

Albertville is a commune in France in the Savoie Departments of France in the Alps in southeastern France. The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics....
 (France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
) Turin
Turín

Tur?n is a municipality in the Ahuachap?n Department Departments of El Salvador of El Salvador....
 (Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
)
Vancouver-Whistler 2010
2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, will be held February 12-28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the resort town of Whistler, British Columbia nearby....
 106    Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is a major tourism destination seeing more than 3.65 million visitors a year who inject more than one billion dollars into the local economy....
 British Columbia
British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
 - Yukon
Yukon

Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada three Territories of Canada. It was named after the Yukon River, Yukon meaning "Great River" in Gwich?in language....
 - Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories are a provinces and territories of Canada of Canada.Located in northern Canada, it borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south....
 - Alberta
Alberta

Alberta is one of Canada Canadian Prairies Provinces and territories of Canada. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S....
 - Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie provinces in Canada, which has an area of 588,276.09 square kilometres and a population of 1,015,895 , mostly living in the southern half of the province....
 - Manitoba
Manitoba

Manitoba is a prairie provinces in Canada, which has an area of 647,797 square kilometres and a population of 1,207,959 , with more than half located within the Winnipeg Capital Region ....
 - Nunavut
Nunavut

Nunavut is the largest and newest Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999 via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993....
 - Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
 - Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast in northeastern North America....
 - Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is a Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada located on Canada's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada....
 - Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is a Canada Provinces and territories of Canada consisting of an island of the same name. The Maritimes is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population ....
 - New Brunswick
New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only Constitution of Canada bilingual province in the federation. The provincial capital is Fredericton....
 - Quebec - Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 - Manitoba - Saskatchewan - Alberta - Vancouver, British Columbia

See both "2010 Olympic Torch Relay
2010 Olympic Torch Relay

2010 Olympic Torch Relay is scheduled to be a 106 day run, from October 30, 2009 to February 12, 2010, prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Plans for the relay were announced November 21, 2008 by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games ....
" and "2010 Winter Olympics torch relay route"


Lighters

Over the years, it has become a tradition to let famous athletes or former athletes be the last runner in the relay. The first well-known athlete to light the fire in the stadium was ninefold Olympic Champion Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Nurmi

File:Paavo Nurmi .JPGPaavo Johannes Nurmi was a Finland running. Born in Turku, he was known as one of the "Flying Finn "; a term given to him, Hannes Kolehmainen, Ville Ritola and others for their distinction in running....
, who excited the home crowd in Helsinki in 1952. Other famous last bearers of the torch include French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  football
Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
 star Michel Platini
Michel Platini

Michel Fran?ois Platini is a France former football player, manager and current president of the UEFA.Platini was a member of the France national football team that won the 1984 UEFA European Football Championship, a tournament in which he was voted the best player and top goalscorer....
 (1992), heavyweight boxing
Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
 champion Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is a retired United States boxing and former three-time List of heavyweight boxing champions.As an amateur, Ali won a gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in the light heavyweight division gold medal....
 (1996) and Australian aboriginal runner Cathy Freeman
Cathy Freeman

Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman, Order of Australia is an Australian athletics who is particularly associated with the 400 metres race. She became the Olympic champion for 400m in the 2000 Sydney games, at which she lit the Olympic Flame....
 (2000).

On other occasions, the people who lit the fire in the stadium are not famous, but nevertheless symbolise Olympic ideals. Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese runner Yoshinori Sakai
Yoshinori Sakai

was the Olympic flame torchbearer who lit the cauldron at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.He was chosen for the role to symbolize Japan's postwar reconstruction and peace....
 was born in Hiroshima
Hiroshima

The Japanese city of is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, the largest of Japan's islands....
 on August 6, 1945, the day the nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion....
 Little Boy
Little Boy

Little Boy was the codename of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945 by the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets in the 393d Bomb Squadron of the United States Army Air Forces....
 destroyed that city. He symbolised the rebirth of Japan after the Second World War when he opened the 1964 Tokyo Games
1964 Summer Olympics

The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964....
. At the 1976 Games
1976 Summer Olympics

The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976....
 in Montreal
Montreal

Montreal, or Montr?al, is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population....
, two teenagers — one from the French-speaking part of the country, one from the English-speaking part — symbolised the unity of Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
.

Below is a full list of all persons who ended the Olympic Torch Relay by lighting the flame in the stadium.

  • 1936 Summer Olympics
    1936 Summer Olympics

    The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Nazi Germany....
    : Fritz Schilgen
    Fritz Schilgen

    Fritz Schilgen was a Germany Athletics and the final torchbearer of the first Olympic Flame at the 1936 Summer Olympics.Schilgen was born in 1906 in Kronberg im Taunus, near Frankfurt, the second son of the rector of the Kronberger high school....
    , a track athlete. He was not actually a competitor at the Olympics, but was chosen for his particularly graceful-looking running style.
  • 1948 Summer Olympics
    1948 Summer Olympics

    The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, United Kingdom....
    : John Mark, a track athlete.
  • 1952 Winter Olympics
    1952 Winter Olympics

    The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1952 in Oslo, Norway....
    : Eigil Nansen
    Eigil Nansen

    Eigil Nansen is the son of architect and humanist Odd Nansen and the grandson of explorer and humanist Fridtjof Nansen.In 1991, he won The Lisl and Leo Eitinger Prize for his work with refugees and human rights, Eigil Nansen is also known for lighting the first Winter Olympic Flame in 1952....
    , the grandson of polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen
    Fridtjof Nansen

    Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norway explorer, scientist and diplomat. Nansen was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his work as a League of Nations High Commissioner....
  • 1952 Summer Olympics
    1952 Summer Olympics

    The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952....
    : Paavo Nurmi
    Paavo Nurmi

    File:Paavo Nurmi .JPGPaavo Johannes Nurmi was a Finland running. Born in Turku, he was known as one of the "Flying Finn "; a term given to him, Hannes Kolehmainen, Ville Ritola and others for their distinction in running....
    , winner of nine Olympic gold medals in distance running in the 1920s.
  • 1956 Winter Olympics
    1956 Winter Olympics

    The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy....
    : Guido Caroli, a speed skater who participated in the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics. Skating with the torch, he tripped over a television cable but kept the flame burning.
  • 1956 Summer Olympics
    1956 Summer Olympics

    The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the Equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations....
    : Ron Clarke
    Ron Clarke

    Ronald William Clarke is a former Australian athlete, mayor and writer, and one of the the best known middle and long distance runners in the 1960s....
     (Melbourne) and Hans Wikne (Stockholm). Long distance runner Clarke would later win an Olympic bronze medal in 1964 ; Hans Wikne later participated in the 1964 Olympics.
  • 1960 Winter Olympics
    1960 Winter Olympics

    The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated between February 18 and February 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California , California, United States ....
    : Ken Henry
    Ken Henry

    Kenneth "Ken" Charles Henry was a Speed skating from the United States.Henry won the gold medal in the 500 m at the 1952 Winter Olympics held in Oslo, Norway in front of 28,000 people at Bislett stadion in a time of 43.2 seconds....
    , Olympic champion in 500 m speed skating at the 1952 Games.
  • 1960 Summer Olympics
    1960 Summer Olympics

    The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Rome, Italy, in 1960....
    : Giancarlo Peris
    Giancarlo Peris

    Giancarlo Peris , an Italy track athlete of Greece descent, was the final bearer of the Olympic torch for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy....
    , track athlete of Greek descent.
  • 1964 Winter Olympics
    1964 Winter Olympics

    The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964....
    : Joseph Rieder, a former alpine skier who had taken part in the 1956 Olympics.
  • 1964 Summer Olympics
    1964 Summer Olympics

    The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964....
    : Yoshinori Sakai
    Yoshinori Sakai

    was the Olympic flame torchbearer who lit the cauldron at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.He was chosen for the role to symbolize Japan's postwar reconstruction and peace....
    , track and field athlete, born on the day the atom bomb exploded over his native Hiroshima.
  • 1968 Winter Olympics
    1968 Winter Olympics

    The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on February 6....
    : Alain Calmat
    Alain Calmat

    Alain Calmat is a French people former competitive figure skater, surgeon, and politician. He is the 1964 Winter Olympics, the 1965 World Figure Skating Championships, the 1962-1964 European Figure Skating Championships, and the 1958 & 1962-1965 French Figure Skating Championships....
    , former figure skater, winner of the silver medal in the 1964 Olympics.
  • 1968 Summer Olympics
    1968 Summer Olympics

    The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City in October 1968....
    : Norma Enriqueta Basilio de Sotelo
    Norma Enriqueta Basilio de Sotelo

    Norma Enriqueta Basilio is a Mexican athlete. She often called "Queta Basilio", made history by being the very first woman ever to light the Olympic flame....
    , a sprinter who participated in these Olympics. She was the first woman to be the last torch bearer.
  • 1972 Winter Olympics
    1972 Winter Olympics

    The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Japan....
    : Hideki Takada, a student and speed skater.
  • 1972 Summer Olympics
    1972 Summer Olympics

    The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, in what was then West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
    : Günther Zahn, a middle distance runner.
  • 1976 Winter Olympics
    1976 Winter Olympics

    The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4-February 15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria....
    : Christl Haas
    Christl Haas

    Christl Haas was an Austrian Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics.Haas was born in at Kitzb?hel. In the Alpine skiing World Cup she won four downhill competitions in total....
     and Josef Feistmantl
    Josef Feistmantl

    Josef Feistmantl was an Austrian luger who competed from the mid 1950s to the early 1970s.He was born in Absam.Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won the gold medal in the men's doubles event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck....
    . Haas won the Olympic downhill title in 1964; Feistmantl won the luge
    Luge

    A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds Supine position and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat....
     doubles in the same year.
  • 1976 Summer Olympics
    1976 Summer Olympics

    The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976....
    : Stéphane Préfontaine and Sandra Henderson, two teenagers.
  • 1980 Winter Olympics
    1980 Winter Olympics

    The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in February 13 through February 24, 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, New York, United States....
    : Charles Gugino, a professional from Nevada who had been elected from all bearers to run the final part.
  • 1980 Summer Olympics
    1980 Summer Olympics

    The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Moscow in the Soviet Union....
    : Sergey Belov, basketball player who won four Olympic medals, including a gold in 1972.
  • 1984 Winter Olympics
    1984 Winter Olympics

    The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was at the time part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
    : Sanda Dubravcic
    Sanda Dubravcic

    Sanda Dubravcic-?imunjak is a Croats figure skater who competed internationally for Yugoslavia. She won the silver medal at the European Figure Skating Championships in 1981....
    , a figure skater who participated in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.
  • 1984 Summer Olympics
    1984 Summer Olympics

    The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984....
    : Rafer Johnson
    Rafer Johnson

    Rafer Lewis Johnson is an United States former decathlon....
    , winner of the decathlon at the 1960 Olympics.
  • 1988 Winter Olympics
    1988 Winter Olympics

    The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Calgary, Alberta and opened by the List of Governors General of Canada: Jeanne Sauv?....
    : Robyn Perry, a 12-year-old schoolgirl and figure skater.
  • 1988 Summer Olympics
    1988 Summer Olympics

    The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea....
    : Sohn Kee-chung
    Sohn Kee-chung

    Sohn Kee-Chung became the first medal-winning Korean people Olympic Games when he won the gold medal in the Marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a member of the Japanese delegation, under the name of Son Kitei, which is the Japanese pronunciation of the hanja making up his name....
    , marathon gold medalist in 1936
    1936 Summer Olympics

    The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Nazi Germany....
    , carried the torch into the stadium, and the relay was continued by Chung Sun-Man, Kim Won-Tak and Sohn Mi-Chung, three young track and field athletes. Kim took part in the Olympic marathon.
  • 1992 Winter Olympics
    1992 Winter Olympics

    The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 in Albertville, France....
    : Michel Platini
    Michel Platini

    Michel Fran?ois Platini is a France former football player, manager and current president of the UEFA.Platini was a member of the France national football team that won the 1984 UEFA European Football Championship, a tournament in which he was voted the best player and top goalscorer....
    , a football player who took part in the 1976 Olympics, and François-Cyrille Grange, who was eight years old at the time.
  • 1992 Summer Olympics
    1992 Summer Olympics

    The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain in 1992....
    : Antonio Rebollo
    Antonio Rebollo

    Antonio Rebollo is the paralympic Archery who lit the Olympic Flame by shooting an arrow over it, during the Opening Ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona....
    , an archer who competed in the Paralympic Games, who ignited the flame by shooting an arrow high into the cauldron. The last runner who lit Rebollo's arrow was basketball player Juan Antonio San Epifanio
    Juan Antonio San Epifanio

    Juan Antonio San Epifanio Ruiz is a retired Spain basketball player, considered one of the greatest Small forward ever to play in Europe. Named Mister Europa in 1984, he played all his career in FC Barcelona B?squet....
    , silver medalist in 1984.
  • 1994 Winter Olympics
    1994 Winter Olympics

    The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway....
    : Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. Both his father and grandfather took part in the Olympics.
  • 1996 Summer Olympics
    1996 Summer Olympics

    The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
    : Muhammad Ali
    Muhammad Ali

    Muhammad Ali is a retired United States boxing and former three-time List of heavyweight boxing champions.As an amateur, Ali won a gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in the light heavyweight division gold medal....
    , the boxer who, under the name Cassius Clay, won Olympic gold in 1960.
  • 1998 Winter Olympics
    1998 Winter Olympics

    The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1998 in Nagano, Japan....
    : Midori Ito
    Midori Ito

    is a former Japanese figure skater. She is the World Figure Skating Championships and the 1992 Winter Olympics. In 1988, she became the first woman to land a axel jump in competition....
    , figure skater, winner of Olympic silver in 1992.
  • 2000 Summer Olympics
    2000 Summer Olympics

    The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 13 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
    : Cathy Freeman
    Cathy Freeman

    Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman, Order of Australia is an Australian athletics who is particularly associated with the 400 metres race. She became the Olympic champion for 400m in the 2000 Sydney games, at which she lit the Olympic Flame....
    , a track and field athlete. She won the gold medal in the 400 m at these Olympics.
  • 2002 Winter Olympics
    2002 Winter Olympics

    The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States....
    : The entire U.S. ice hockey team that won the Olympic gold medal in 1980
    Miracle on Ice

    The "Miracle on Ice" is the nickname given to a February 22 medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics, in which a team of amateur and collegiate players from the United States, led by coach Herb Brooks, defeated the Soviet Union team, who were considered to be the best international hockey team in the world, 4–3...
    .
  • 2004 Summer Olympics
    2004 Summer Olympics

    The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries....
    : Nikolaos Kaklamanakis
    Nikolaos Kaklamanakis

    Nikolaos "Nikos" Kaklamanakis is the Greece Gold-medal winner who lit the Olympic torch in the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens....
    , windsurfer (Olympic Windsurfing Class
    Windsurfing

    Windsurfing, or sailboarding, is a Surface Water Sports using a windsurf board, also commonly called a sailboard, usually two to five meters long and powered by the wind pushing on a sail....
    ), 1996
    1996 Summer Olympics

    The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
     Olympic gold medalist, 2004
    2004 Summer Olympics

    The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries....
     Olympic silver medalist.
  • 2006 Winter Olympics
    2006 Winter Olympics

    The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006....
    : Stefania Belmondo
    Stefania Belmondo

    Stefania Belmondo is an Italy former cross-country skiing....
    , Italian
    Italy

    Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
     gold medalist cross-country skier
    Cross-country skiing

    Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles. It is popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe, Canada, Alaska and the Upper Midwest....
    .
  • 2008 Summer Olympics
    2008 Summer Olympics

    The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008....
    : Li Ning
    Li Ning

    Li Ning is a well-known and well-respected Chinese gymnast and entrepreneur. He was born in a Zhuang_people family on September 8, 1963 in Liuzhou, Guangxi, China....
    , gymnast, three-time gold medalist in 1984.


Cauldron

Olympic Flame At Opening Ceremony
The cauldron and the pedestal it sits on are always the subject of unique and often dramatic design. These also tie in with how the cauldron is lit during the Opening Ceremony.
  • In Los Angeles in 1984, Rafer Johnson
    Rafer Johnson

    Rafer Lewis Johnson is an United States former decathlon....
     lit a "wick" of sorts at the top of the archway after having climbed a big flight of steps. The flame flared up a pipe, through the Olympic Rings and on up the side of the tower to ignite the cauldron.
  • In Barcelona in 1992, Antonio Rebollo
    Antonio Rebollo

    Antonio Rebollo is the paralympic Archery who lit the Olympic Flame by shooting an arrow over it, during the Opening Ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona....
    , an archer
    Archery

    Archery is the art, practice or skill of shooting with Bow and arrow. Archery has historically been used in hunting and combat and has become a precision sport....
     shot a flaming arrow immediately over the cauldron to light it.
  • In Atlanta in 1996, the cauldron was an artistic scroll
    Scroll

    A Scroll is a roll of parchment, papyrus, or paper, which has been drawn or written upon.Scroll may also refer to:*Scroll , the decoratively curved end of the pegbox of string instruments such as violins...
     decorated in red and gold. It was lit by boxing legend Muhammad Ali
    Muhammad Ali

    Muhammad Ali is a retired United States boxing and former three-time List of heavyweight boxing champions.As an amateur, Ali won a gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in the light heavyweight division gold medal....
    , using a mechanical, self-propelling fuse ball that transported the flame up a wire from the stadium to its final resting place At the 1996 Summer Paralympics
    1996 Summer Paralympics

    The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, United States were the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship. They were held from 16 August to 25 August....
    , the scroll was lit by a paraplegic climber
    Climbing

    Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations....
     hoisting himself up a rope to the cauldron.
  • For the 2000 Summer Olympics
    2000 Summer Olympics

    The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 13 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
     in Sydney, Cathy Freeman
    Cathy Freeman

    Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman, Order of Australia is an Australian athletics who is particularly associated with the 400 metres race. She became the Olympic champion for 400m in the 2000 Sydney games, at which she lit the Olympic Flame....
     walked across a circular pool of water and ignited the cauldron through the water, surrounding herself within a ring of fire. The planned spectacular climax to the ceremony was delayed by the technical glitch of a computer switch which malfunctioned, causing the sequence to shut down by giving a false reading. This meant that the Olympic flame was suspended in mid-air for about four minutes, rather than immediately rising up a water-covered ramp to the top of the stadium. When it was discovered what the problem was, the program was overridden and the cauldron continued up the ramp, where it finally rested on a tall silver pedestal.
  • For the 2002 Winter Olympics
    2002 Winter Olympics

    The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States....
     in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, the cauldron was lit by the members of the winning 1980 US hockey team. After being skated around the centre ice rink there in the stadium, the flame was carried up a staircase to the team members, who then lit a "wick" of sorts at the bottom of the cauldron tower which set off an impressive line of flames that traveled up inside the tower until it reached the cauldron at the top which ignited. This cauldron was the first to use glass and incorporated running water to prevent the glass from heating and to keep it clean.
  • For the 2004 Summer Olympics
    2004 Summer Olympics

    The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries....
     in Athens, the cauldron was in the shape of a giant needle from windsurfer Nikolaos Kaklamanakis
    Nikolaos Kaklamanakis

    Nikolaos "Nikos" Kaklamanakis is the Greece Gold-medal winner who lit the Olympic torch in the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens....
    .
  • In the 2006 Winter Olympics
    2006 Winter Olympics

    The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006....
     in Turin, Stefania Belmondo
    Stefania Belmondo

    Stefania Belmondo is an Italy former cross-country skiing....
     placed the flame on an arched lighting apparatus, which initiated a series of fireworks before lighting the top of the 57-meter high Olympic Cauldron, the highest in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.
  • In the 2008 Summer Olympics
    2008 Summer Olympics

    The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008....
     in Beijing, the cauldron resembled the end of a scroll that lifted out from the stadium rim and spiralled upwards. It was lit by Li Ning
    Li Ning

    Li Ning is a well-known and well-respected Chinese gymnast and entrepreneur. He was born in a Zhuang_people family on September 8, 1963 in Liuzhou, Guangxi, China....
     a Chinese gymnast, who was raised to the rim of the stadium by wires. He ran around the rim of the stadium while suspended and as he ran, an unrolling scroll was projected showing film clips of the flame's journey around the world. As he approached the cauldron, he lit an enormous wick, which then transferred the flame to the cauldron. The flame then spiralled up the structure of the cauldron before lighting it at the top. The cauldron itself was build in the early summer of 2008. The structure was build layed down on the roof of the stadium, and covered with an inflatable, air conditioned, hanger-like structure where it was painted and decorated. A day before the Opening Ceremony, the inflatable structure was taken away, and the cauldron was covered with a tarp until the very begining of the Ceremony. On the night of August 8th, during the Opening Ceremony, the cauldron mechanically slid to the edge of the stadium roof’s and tilted up into its final position. This took place during the Parade of Nations at around 10:08 PM local time. As all the attention was on the stadium’s floor and away from the darkened area of the stadium's roof, Ceremony organizers hoped to perform the operation in as much secrecy as possible. However, some athletes and spectators reported seeing the cauldron tilt upwards and rumors about the how the cauldron would be lighted began to spread among those in the stadium. Additionally, some broadcasters also noticed the newly-positioned cauldron and pointed it out to their television audiences.


Controversy

The torch ceremony is seen by some as controversial. During one incident in the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne
Melbourne

Melbourne is the more common name for the geographic region and Census in Australia of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It is the second List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million and serves as the List of Australian capital cities of Victoria ....
, nine Australian students, most notably Barry Larkin
Barry Larkin (Olympics)

Barry Larkin is a veterinary surgeon from Melbourne, Australia, most noted for performing a hoax during the 1956 Summer Olympics, which were held in Melbourne....
, staged a hoax during the relay when the torch entered Sydney
Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
. The students wanted to protest against what they saw as "Too much reverence," to the flame, considering the Nazi origins. Larkin pretended to be an Olympic athlete, carrying a fake torch made out of a burning pair of underpants and a plum pudding can on the end of a chair leg. He presented it to the mayor of Sydney, Pat Hills, and escaped before anyone realized he was an imposter.

The torch has raised disputes about the sovereignty of the regions that it passes. The 2008 Beijing Games had initially planned for the torch to pass through the island of Taiwan before going to Hong Kong and Macau and then to mainland China. Taiwan rejected this on the basis that they wished the flame to enter the island/country by a 'third party country' and leave the island/country by a 'fourth party country', so that the torch will not downgrade Taiwan's sovereignty. Negotiations did not work out by the deadline set by the International Olympic Committee.

Plans to carry the 2008 torch up the top of Mount Everest were also met with opposition by Tibetan government-in-exile and its followers. The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
2008 Summer Olympics torch relay

The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream"....
 has become the focus of Chinese political issues in a similar way to that of past Olympiads. Serious unrest occurred during protests about China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
's treatment of Tibet
Tibet

Tibet is a Tibetan Plateau in Asia, north of the Himalayas, and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people and its related ethnic groups. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres , it is the highest region on Earth and has in recent decades increasingly been referred to as the "Roof of the World"....
 in April 2008 when the Olympic Torch was paraded through many western cities on its world tour ahead of the Beijing
Beijing

is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
 Olympics.

Re-igniting the Flame

It is not uncommon for the Olympic flame to be accidentally or deliberately extinguished during the course of the relay, and on at least one occasion the cauldron itself has gone out during the Games. To guard against this eventuality, multiple "versions" of the flame are transported with the relay or maintained in backup locations. When a torch goes out, it is re-lit (or another torch is lit) from one of the backup sources. Thus, the fires contained in the torches and Olympic cauldrons all trace a common lineage back to the same Olympia lighting ceremony.

One of the more memorable extinguishings occurred at the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics

The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976....
 held in Montreal
Montreal

Montreal, or Montr?al, is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
. After a rainstorm that doused the Olympic flame a few days after the games had opened, an official re-lit the flame using his cigarette lighter. Organizers quickly doused it again and relit it using a backup of the original flame.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries....
, when the Olympic flame came to the Panathinaiko Stadium
Panathinaiko Stadium

The Panathinaiko or Panathenaic Stadium in Athens is the only major stadium in the world built fully of white marble . It should not be confused with the Panathinaikos football pitch at Alexandras Avenue....
 to start the global torch relay, the night was very windy and the torch, lit by the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki
Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki

Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki is a Greece politician and business woman. She is best known for being the president of the bidding and organizing committee for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece....
, blew out due to the wind, but was re-lit from the back up flame taken from the original ceremonial flame at Olympia.

In 2008
2008 Summer Olympics torch relay

The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream"....
 the Olympic torch was extinguished at least two times by Chinese officials (five times according to French police) so that it could be transported in a bus amid protests while it was being paraded through Paris. This eventually led to the cancellation of the relay's last leg in the city. The flame itself, however, remained preserved in the back-up lantern used to keep it overnight and on airplanes, and the torch is relit using this.

The currently designed torch has a safeguard built into it. There are two flames inside the torch. There is a highly visible (yellow) portion which burns cooler and is more prone to extinguish in wind and rain, but there is also a smaller hotter (blue) flame akin to a pilot light
Pilot light

A pilot light is a small gas flame, usually natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, which is kept alight in order to serve as an ignition source for a more powerful gas burner....
 hidden inside the torch which is protected from wind and rain and is capable of relighting the cooler more visible portion if it is extinguished. The fuel inside the torch lasts approximately 15 minutes before the flame is exhausted and needs to be relit. Several back up flames are taken along the ceremonial journey in case the flame is extinguished.

See also

  • 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
    2008 Summer Olympics torch relay

    The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream"....
  • 2004 Summer Olympics torch relay
  • Eternal Flame
    Eternal flame

    An eternal flame is a flame or torch that burns constantly. The flame that burned constantly at Delphi, was an archaic feature, "alien to the ordinary Greek temple"....
  • Flame of Hope
    Flame of Hope

    1. The Flame of Hope is a flame that was lit in 1989 as a tribute to Dr. Frederick Banting, who in 1922 discovered insulin, and all the people that have lost their lives to diabetes....
  • International Olympic Committee
    International Olympic Committee

    The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on June 23, 1894....
  • Olympic symbols
    Olympic symbols

    The Olympic symbols are the icons, flags and symbols used by the International Olympic Committee to promote the Olympic Games. Some ? such as the flame, fanfare, and theme ? are more common during Olympic competition, but others, such as the flag, can be seen throughout the year....
  • Olympic Oath
    Olympic Oath

    The Olympic Oath is taken by one sportsperson and one judge at the opening ceremonies of each Olympic Games. It was spoken in Greek language at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and in Italian language at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin....
  • Queen's Baton Relay
    Queen's Baton Relay

    The Queen's Baton Relay, similar to the Olympic Torch Relay, is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games....
    , an analogous relay associated with the Commonwealth Games
    Commonwealth Games

    The Commonwealth Games is a multinational, multi-sport event. Held every four years, it involves the elite athletes of the Commonwealth of Nations....
  • Panamerican Torch, a torch relay associated with the Panamerican Games
  • Asian Games Torch, a torch relay associated with the Asian Games
    Asian Games

    The Asian Games, also called the Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among Sportsperson from all over Asia. The games are regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia under the supervision of the International Olympic Committee ....
  • The Olympic Flame has been used as a symbol and main motif numerous times in different commemorative coins. A recent sample was the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Olympic Games commemorative coin
    Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Finland)

    Euro gold and silver commemorative coins are special euro coins Mint and issued by member states of the Eurozone, mainly in gold and silver, although other precious metals are also used in rare occasions....
    , minted in 2002, celebrating the 50th anniversary of this event. In the Obverse, the Olympic Flame above the Earth can be seen. Note that Finland
    Finland

    Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
     is the only country highlighted on earth, as a representation of the host of these games.


External links

  • - Images and information on every game since 1896
  • - A list of past torches