Torch and Torch Relay Details

The Lighting Ceremony
The 2002 Winter Olympic Flame is lit in Athens, Greece during a traditional ceremony in which a parabolic mirror is used to light the torch from rays of the sun. The Torch then travels by plane to Atlanta, Georgia, the last place the torch burned in America during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. The torch arrives in Atlanta on Dec. 4, 2001 for the kick-off of the 2002 Olympic Torch Relay.

The Torch Relay
For 65 days and through 46 states, more than 11,500 individuals will carry the torch on a 13,500-mile journey to Salt Lake City, the site of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The torch will light the Olympic Cauldron in Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony on Feb. 8, 2002, officially signifying the beginning of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Olympic Torch Vital statistics
The 2002 Olympic Torch weighs three pounds and is 33 inches (84 cm) long. It is 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide at the top and half an inch (1.3 cm) wide at bottom.

'Fire and Ice'
The Torch is designed to look like a fiery icicle. The body is tapered with an antique silver finish and dark-shaded grooves that run from top to bottom. The Salt Lake City Logo, Olympic rings and the text, "light the fire within," are etched into the front. The outer shell is made from aluminum and plating to produce a high-polished chrome finish. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, the Torch is topped with a glass crown from which the Olympic flame emerges from a copper cauldron. The flame is visible from within the crown.

'Light the Fire Within'
The Olympic Flame, which can be seen burning inside the Torch's glass crown, is a metaphor for Olympians' passion for competition and victory. Each torch will be unique, just as every Olympic athlete is a true original.

Representation
The materials in the Torch represent ideals of the Olympic Winter Games. Glass represents winter and nature as well as ice and purity. High-polished silver represents modern technology. The aged silver finish stands for the heritage, traditions and heirlooms of the West. Copper represents the fire, warmth and passion of Utah's history.