The Torch is on the Run: Let the Olympic Games Begin

The lighting of the torch at the Olympic Games announces to the world in a beacon of light: "Let the Games Begin!"

The Olympic Torch has been the highlight of the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games since 1928. The flame is the purest of Olympic symbols, with its roots in ancient Greece. Since the days, thousands of years ago, when it was believed Prometheus stole sacred fire from the gods and gave it to men on Earth, the flame has symbolized freedom, reason and creativity. Through time it has also come to represent unity and a bond of humanity that goes above and beyond outside influences.

In time for the 1936 Olympic Games, a relay was created to bring the flame from the site of ancient Olympia to Berlin. The route traversed seven different countries, and was carried in turn by more than 3,300 torch-bearers. It took 12 days and 13 nights to cover the almost 2,000-mile relay. In the context of Hitler's Germany, bringing the flame directly from Olympia to Berlin was a symbol of strength, power and challenge to the rest of the world, and undeniably intense national pride. Using the kind of foot-race that the ancient Greeks used to run, passing a burning torch from one man to the next further underlined Hitler's belief in his countrymen's connection with the great men of the past.

Referred to as the "Red Thread of Passion that will Unite all Italy," the torch relay to Turin began in Rome on December 8. It will culminate at the opening ceremonies February 10.