List of Olympic torch relays

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The Olympic torch relay is the ceremonial relaying of the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, to the site of an Olympic Games. It was invented by the Nazis and was first performed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as a way for Hitler to spread Nazi influence to other countries and to highlight the Aryan connections of Germany to Greece. [1] It has taken place prior to every Games since.

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Although in the past some Olympic organizing committees organized torch relays which encompassed multiple countries, the International Olympic Committee now restricts international relays due to the protests during the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay, in which the relay was met with protests at several international sites on its way to Beijing, China. [2]

Summer Olympic Games

Site of the Olympic GamesDaysTotal length (in km)Total number of torchbearersRoute
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Berlin 1936 83,4223,422 OlympiaAthensThessaloniki (Greece) – Sofia (Bulgaria) – Belgrade (Yugoslavia) – Budapest (Hungary) – Vienna (Austria) – Prague (Czechoslovakia) – DresdenBerlin (Germany)

Two secondary relays carried the flame from Olympic Stadium in Berlin to the off-site aquatic venues: Grunau (for the rowing course), and Kiel (yachting). The cauldron in Kiel sat in an old Hanseatic galley in the bay. Kiel would also be the yachting site of the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Flag of Japan.svg / Flag of Finland.svg Cancelled 1940 Games
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cancelled 1944 Games
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg London 1948 137,8703,372 OlympiaCorfu (Greece) (by ship) BariMilan (Italy) – LausanneGeneva (Switzerland) – BesançonMetz (France) – Luxembourg (Luxembourg) – Brussels (Belgium) – LilleCalais (France) (by ship)– Dover – London (Great Britain)

A second relay carried the flame from Wembley, where the Games were based, to the sailing centre at Torbay, via Slough, Basingstoke, Salisbury, and Exeter.

Flag of Finland.svg Helsinki 1952 53,3651,416 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) Aalborg - Odense - Copenhagen (Denmark) (by ship) Malmö - Gothenburg - Stockholm (Sweden) - Tornio - Oulu - Helsinki (Finland). A second flame was lit in Pallastunturi (Finland) and joined the main one in Tornio
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne 1956 2120,4703,118 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) Darwin - Brisbane - Sydney - Canberra - Melbourne (Australia)
Flag of Sweden.svg Stockholm 1956
(equestrian Games)
91,000490 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) Copenhagen (Denmark) (by ship) Malmö - Stockholm (Sweden)
Flag of Italy.svg Rome 1960 142,7501,529 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by ship) Syracuse - Catania - Messina - Reggio Calabria - Naples - Rome (Italy)
Flag of Japan.svg Tokyo 1964 5120,065870 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) Istanbul (Turkey) - Beirut (Lebanon) - Tehran (Iran) - Lahore (Pakistan) - New Delhi (India) - Rangoon (Burma) - Bangkok (Thailand) - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) - Manila (Philippines) - Hong Kong (Hong Kong) - Taipei (Taiwan) - Okinawa - Tokyo (Japan, following four different routes)
Flag of Mexico (1934-1968).svg Mexico City 1968 5113,6202,778 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by ship) Genoa (Italy) (by ship) Barcelona - Madrid - Seville - Palos (by ship) Las Palmas (Spain) - San Salvador Island (Bahamas) - Veracruz - Mexico City (Mexico)
Flag of Germany.svg Munich 1972 305,5326,000 Olympia - Athens - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Varna (Bulgaria) - Bucharest - Timișoara (Romania) - Belgrade (Yugoslavia) - Budapest (Hungary) - Vienna - Linz - Salzburg - Innsbruck (Austria) - Garmisch-Partenkirchen - Munich (West Germany)
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Montreal 1976 57751,214 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (satellite transmission of an electronic pulse) Ottawa ( Ontario ) - Montreal ( Quebec ) (Canada)
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Moscow 1980 314,9155,000 Olympia - Athens - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Bucharest (Romania) - Kishinev - Vinnytsia - Kiev - Tula - Moscow (USSR)
Flag of the United States.svg Los Angeles 1984 8315,0003,636 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) New York – BostonPhiladelphiaWashingtonDetroit – Chicago – IndianapolisAtlantaSt. LouisDallasDenverSalt Lake CitySeattleSan FranciscoSan Diego - Los Angeles (USA)
Flag of South Korea.svg Seoul 1988 2615,2501,467 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) Jeju - Busan - Seoul (South Korea)
Flag of Spain.svg Barcelona 1992 516,30710,448 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by ship) Empúries - Bilbao - A Coruña - Madrid - Seville (by airplane) Las Palmas - Málaga - Valencia (by ship) Palma de MallorcaBarcelona (Spain)
Flag of the United States.svg Atlanta 1996 11229,01613,267 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) Los Angeles ( California ) – Las Vegas ( Nevada ) – San Francisco (California) – Seattle ( Washington ) – Salt Lake City ( Utah ) – Denver ( Colorado ) – Dallas ( Texas ) – St. Louis ( Missouri ) – Minneapolis ( Minnesota ) – Chicago ( Illinois ) – Detroit ( Michigan ) - Boston ( Massachusetts ) – New York ( New York ) – Philadelphia ( Pennsylvania ) – WashingtonMiami ( Florida ) – Birmingham ( Alabama ) - Atlanta ( Georgia ) (USA)
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sydney 2000 12727,00013,300 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) Guam - Palau - Federated States of Micronesia - Nauru - Solomon Islands -Papua New Guinea - Vanuatu - Samoa - American Samoa - Cook Islands - Tonga - Queenstown - Christchurch - Wellington - Rotorua - Auckland (New Zealand) - Uluru ( Northern Territory ) - Brisbane ( Queensland ) - Darwin (Northern Territory) - Perth ( Western Australia ) - Adelaide ( South Australia ) - Melbourne ( Victoria ) - Canberra ( Capital Territory ) - Sydney ( New South Wales ) (Australia)
Flag of Greece.svg Athens 2004 14286,00011,360 Olympia - Marathonas - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) Sydney - Melbourne (Australia) - Tokyo (Japan) - Seoul (South Korea) - Beijing (People's Republic of China) - Delhi (India) - Cairo (Egypt) - Cape Town (South Africa) - Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) - Mexico City (Mexico) - Los Angeles - St. Louis - Atlanta - New York (USA) - Montreal (Canada) - Antwerp - Brussels (Belgium) - Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Lausanne - Geneva (Switzerland) - Paris (France) - London (Great Britain) - Madrid - Barcelona (Spain) - Rome (Italy) - Munich - Berlin (Germany) - Stockholm (Sweden) - Helsinki (Finland) - Moscow (Russia) - Kyiv (Ukraine) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Nicosia (Cyprus) - Iraklion - Thessaloniki - Patras - Athens (Greece)
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing 2008 130137,00021,880 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) - Beijing (People's Republic of China) (by airplane) - Almaty (Kazakhstan) (by airplane) - Istanbul (Turkey) (by airplane) - Saint Petersburg (Russia) (by airplane) - London (Great Britain) (by airplane) – Paris (France) (by airplane) – San Francisco (USA) (by airplane) – Buenos Aires (Argentina) (by airplane) – Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) (by airplane) – Muscat (Oman) (by airplane) – Islamabad (Pakistan) (by airplane) – New Delhi (India) (by airplane) – Bangkok (Thailand) (by airplane) – Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) (by airplane) – Jakarta (Indonesia) (by airplane) – Canberra (Australia) (by airplane) – Nagano (Japan) (by airplane) – Seoul (South Korea) (by airplane) – Pyongyang (North Korea) (by airplane) – Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) (by airplane) – Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China) (by ship) – Macau (Macau, China) (by airplane) – Sanya - Wuzhishan - Wanning - Haikou (Hainan) (by airplane) – Guangzhou - Shenzhen - Huizhou - Shantou (Guangdong) (by airplane) – Fuzhou - Quanzhou - Xiamen - Longyan (Fujian) (by airplane) – Ruijin - Jinggangshan - Nanchang (Jiangxi) (by airplane) – Wenzhou - Shaoxing - Hangzhou - Ningbo - Jiaxing (Zhejiang) (by airplane) – Shanghai (by airplane) – Suzhou - Nantong - Taizhou - Yangzhou - Nanjing (Jiangsu) (by airplane) – Hefei - Huainan - Wuhu - Jixi - Huangshan (Anhui) (by airplane) – Wuhan - Yichang - Jingzhou (Hubei) (by airplane) – Yueyang - Changsha - Shaoshan (Hunan) (by airplane) – Guilin - Nanning - Baise (Guangxi) (by airplane) – Kunming - Lijiang - Shangri-La (Yunnan) (by airplane) – Guiyang - Kaili - Zunyi (Guizhou) (by airplane) – Chongqing (by airplane) – Ürümqi - Kashgar - Shihezi - Changji (Xinjiang) (by airplane) – Lhasa (Tibet) (by airplane) – Golmud - Qinghai Lake - Xining (Qinghai) (by airplane) – Yuncheng - Pingyao - Taiyuan - Datong (Shanxi) (by airplane) – Jiuquan (by airplane) – Zhongwei - Wuzhong - Yinchuan (Ningxia) (by airplane) – Yan'an - Yangling - Xianyang - Xi'an (Shaanxi) (by airplane) – Dunhuang - Jiayuguan - Lanzhou (Gansu) (by airplane) – Hohhot - Ordos - Baotou - Chifeng (Inner Mongolia) (by airplane) – Harbin - Daqing - Qiqihar (Heilongjiang) (by airplane) – Changchun - Songyuan - Jilin - Yanji (Jilin) (by airplane) – Shenyang - Anshan - Dalian (Liaoning) (by airplane) –Qingdao - Linyi - Qufu - Tai'an - Jinan (Shandong) (by airplane) – Zhengzhou - Kaifeng - Luoyang - Anyang (Henan) (by airplane) – Shijiazhuang - Qinhuangdao - Tangshan (Hebei) (by airplane) – Tianjin (by airplane) – Guang'an - Leshan - Chengdu (Sichuan) (by airplane) – Beijing (People's Republic of China)

Sichuan route postponed to the end due to earthquake.

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg London 2012 7012,8008,000 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) - Land's End - Plymouth - Exeter - Taunton - Bristol - Cheltenham - Worcester - Malvern (England) (by train) - Cardiff - Swansea - Aberystwyth - Bangor (Wales) (by train) - Chester - Stoke-on-Trent - Bolton - Liverpool (England) (by ship) - Douglas (Isle of Man) (by ship) - Portrush - Derry - Newry (Northern Ireland) (by airplane) - Dublin (Republic of Ireland) (by airplane) - Belfast (Northern Ireland) (by airplane) - Glasgow - Inverness - Kirkwall - Lerwick - Stornoway - Aberdeen - Dundee - Edinburgh (Scotland) (by train) - Alnwick - Newcastle - Durham - Middlesbrough - Hull - York - Carlisle - Bowness-on-Windermere - Blackpool - Manchester - Leeds - Sheffield - Cleethorpes - Lincoln - Nottingham - Derby - Birmingham - Coventry - Leicester - Peterborough - Norwich - Ipswich - Chelmsford - Cambridge - Luton - Oxford - Reading - Basingstoke - Winchester - Salisbury - Weymouth and Portland - Bournemouth - Southampton (England) (by ship) - Saint Peter Port (Guernsey) (by ship) - Saint Helier (Jersey) (by ship) - Portsmouth - Brighton and Hove - Brighton - Hastings - Dover - Maidstone - Guildford - London (England) (Great Britain)
Flag of Brazil.svg Rio de Janeiro 2016 10620,00012,000 Olympia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) - Lausanne - Geneva (Switzerland) (by airplane) - Brasilia (Federal District) - Goiânia (Goias) - Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) - Vitória (Espirito Santo) - Salvador (Bahia) - Aracaju (Sergipe) - Maceió (Alagoas) - Recife (Pernambuco) - Joao Pessoa (Paraiba) - Natal (Rio Grande do Norte) - Fernando de Noronha - Fortaleza (Ceará) - Teresina (Piaui) - Palmas (Tocantins) - São Luís (Maranhão) - Belém (Para) - Macapá (Amapá) - Boa Vista (Roraima) - Manaus (Amazonas) - Rio Branco (Acre) - Porto Velho (Rondônia) - Cuiabá (Mato Grosso) - Campo Grande (Mato Grosso do Sul)- Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul) - Florianópolis (Santa Catarina) - Curitiba (Paraná) - São Paulo (São Paulo) - Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro) (Brazil)
Flag of Japan.svg Tokyo 2020 11120,000- Olympia (Greece) - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) - Fukushima ( Fukushima ) - Utsunomiya ( Tochigi ) - Maebashi ( Gunma ) - Nagano ( Nagano ) - Gifu ( Gifu ) - Nagoya ( Aichi ) – Nara ( Nara ) – Osaka ( Osaka ) – Kōchi ( Kōchi ) – Matsuyama ( Ehime ) – Kagoshima ( Kagoshima ) – Naha ( Okinawa ) – Nagasaki ( Nagasaki ) – Fukuoka ( Fukuoka ) – Hiroshima ( Hiroshima ) – Kobe ( Hyōgo ) – Kyoto ( Kyoto ) – Fukui ( Fukui ) – Kanazawa ( Ishikawa ) – Yamagata ( Yamagata ) – Akita ( Akita ) – Sapporo ( Hokkaido ) – Morioka ( Iwate ) – Sendai ( Miyagi ) – Shizuoka ( Shizuoka ) – Yokohama ( Kanagawa ) – Chiba ( Chiba ) – Saitama ( Saitama ) – Tokyo (Japan)

Irregular period, relay in Greece started on 12 March 2020 in Ancient Olympia, then curtailed in Sparta the next day, and later finished in Athens without spectators on 19 March 2020, the relay went later suspended on 25 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic after the Olympics postponed to 2021. Japan relay started on 25 March 2021 in Naraha and ended on 23 July 2021 during the opening ceremony.

Flag of France.svg Paris 2024 79-10,000 Olympia (Greece) – Marseille (by ship) (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)Paris (Île-de-France) (France)
Flag of the United States.svg Los Angeles 2028 --- Olympia (Greece) – Los Angeles (USA)
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brisbane 2032 --- Olympia (Greece) – Brisbane (Australia)

    Winter Olympic Games

    Site of the Olympic GamesDaysTotal length (in km)Total number of torchbearersRoute
    Flag of Norway.svg Oslo 1952 222594 MorgedalOslo (Norway)
    Flag of Italy.svg Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 5 Rome - VeniceCortina d'Ampezzo (Italy)
    Flag of the United States.svg Squaw Valley 1960 19960700 MorgedalOslo (Norway) (by airplane) - Los AngelesFresnoSquaw Valley (USA)
    Flag of Austria.svg Innsbruck 1964 8 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) ViennaInnsbruck (Austria)
    Flag of France.svg Grenoble 1968 507,2225,000 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) Paris – StrasbourgLyonBordeauxToulouseMarseilleNiceChamonixGrenoble (France)
    Flag of Japan.svg Sapporo 1972 3818,74116,300 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) Okinawa (by airplane) Tokyo – Sapporo (Japan)
    Flag of Austria.svg Innsbruck 1976 61,618 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) Vienna (route nr. 1) LinzSalzburgInnsbruck (route nr. 2) GrazKlagenfurtInnsbruck (Austria)
    Flag of the United States.svg Lake Placid 1980 1512,82452 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) Shannon (Ireland) Langley Air Force Base, HamptonWashingtonBaltimorePhiladelphia – New York – AlbanyLake Placid (USA)
    Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg Sarajevo 1984 115,2891,600 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) Dubrovnik (route nr. 1) SplitLjubljanaZagreb - Sarajevo (route nr. 2) SkopjeNovi SadBelgradeSarajevo (Yugoslavia)
    Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Calgary 1988 9518,0006,250 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) St. John’s, NewfoundlandQuébec CityMontrealOttawa – Toronto – WinnipegInuvik – Vancouver – EdmontonCalgary (Canada)
    Flag of France.svg Albertville 1992 585,5005,500 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (on Concorde) Paris – NantesLe HavreLilleStrasbourgLimogesBordeauxToulouseAjaccioNiceMarseilleLyonGrenobleAlbertville (France)
    Flag of Norway.svg Lillehammer 1994 82 [nb 1] 12,000 [nb 1] 7,000 [nb 1] OlympiaAthens (Greece) (mainly by airplane: FrankfurtStuttgartKarlsruheDüsseldorfCologneHamburg (Germany) – Copenhagen (Denmark)-– Helsinki (Finland) – Stockholm (Sweden) ) – OsloLillehammer (Norway)
    (National torch relay: MorgedalKristiansandStavangerBergenGullfaks – Bergen – TrondheimTromsøSvalbard – Tromsø – Bodø – Oslo – Lillehammer (Norway) ) [nb 1] [3] [4] [5]
    Flag of Japan.svg Nagano 1998 513,4866,901 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) Tokyo (route nr. 1) HokkaidōChibaTokyoNagano (route nr. 2) OkinawaHiroshimaKyotoNagano (route nr. 3) KagoshimaOsakaShizuokaNagano (Japan)
    Flag of the United States.svg Salt Lake City 2002 8521,27512,012 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) AtlantaCharleston, South Carolina - Jacksonville, Florida - St. Augustine, FloridaOrlando, Florida - MiamiMobile, AlabamaBiloxi, MississippiNew Orleans - HoustonSan AntonioAustin, Texas - DallasLittle Rock, Arkansas - Memphis - Nashville, TennesseeLouisville, KentuckyCincinnatiPittsburghCumberland, Maryland – Washington, D.C. – BaltimorePhiladelphia – New York - Hartford, ConnecticutProvidence, Rhode Island - BostonBurlington, Vermont - Lake PlacidSyracuse - Cleveland - Columbus, Ohio – Chicago – Milwaukee - DetroitFort Wayne, IndianaIndianapolisLexingtonSt. Louis - Kansas CityOmahaWichita - Oklahoma CityAmarillo - Albuquerque - Phoenix – Los Angeles – San FranciscoSquaw ValleyRenoPortlandSeattleJuneauBoiseBozemanCheyenneDenverSalt Lake City (USA) [6]
    Flag of Italy.svg Turin 2006 7511,30010,000 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) RomeFlorenceGenoaCagliari - Valletta (Malta) – PalermoNaplesBariAnconaSan Marino (San Marino) – BolognaVeniceTrieste - Koper (Slovenia) - Klagenfurt (Austria) - TrentoCortina d'AmpezzoMilan - Lugano (Switzerland) - BardonecchiaAlbertville (France) - Turin
    Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Vancouver 2010 10645,000+12,000+ OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) Victoria, British ColumbiaYukonNorthwest TerritoriesAlbertaSaskatchewanManitobaNunavutQuebecNewfoundland and LabradorNova ScotiaPrince Edward IslandNew BrunswickQuebecOntarioManitobaSaskatchewanAlberta (Canada) – Washington (USA) – Vancouver (Canada) [7]
    Flag of Russia.svg Sochi 2014 12365,00014,000+ OlympiaAmaliada - Elis - Pyrgos - Zacharo - Kalo Nero - Tripoli - Levidi - Lefkasi - Kalavryta - Patras - Rio - Missolonghi - Agrinio - Karpenisi - Lamia - Volos - Larissa - Katerini - Thessaloniki - Giannitsa - Naousa - Edessa - Florina - Kastoria - Grevena - Ioannina - Kalabaka - Trikala - Karditsa - Lamia - Amfissa - Delphi - Arachova - Livadeia - Athens (Greece) (by airplane) - Moscow - Kolomna - Odintsovo - Arkhangelskoye - Krasnogorsk - Dmitrov - Saint PetersburgKaliningradMurmanskArkhangelskYakutskVladivostokIrkutskNovosibirskKazanNizhny NovgorodVolgogradRostov-on-DonAstrakhanGroznySochi (Russia)
    Flag of South Korea.svg Pyeongchang 2018 1012,0187,500 OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) - Incheon (by airplane) – Jeju (by airplane) – BusanUlsanGeoje - Tongyeong (by ship) - Changwon - Changnyeong - Sacheon (South Gyeongsang)Yeosu - Suncheon - Gangjin (by helicopter) - Mokpo - Damyang - Gokseong (South Jeolla)Muju - Jeonju (North Jeolla)Buyeo (South Chungcheong)DaejeonSejong – Osong – Jincheon - Chungju - Danyang (North Chungcheong)Bonghwa - Andong (North Gyeongsang)DaeguPohang (North Gyeongsang)Suwon (Gyeonggi)SeoulPaju - Yeoncheon (Gyeonggi) (by bike) – Hwacheon (by bike) - Goseong - Hwacheon - Hwacheon - Hoengseong - Samcheok - Jeongseon - Pyeongchang (Gangwon) (South Korea)
    Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing 2022 3-- OlympiaAthens (Greece) (by airplane) - Beijing - Zhangjiakou - Yanqing District - Beijing (China
    Flag of Italy.svg Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo 2026 --- Olympia (Greece) – Milan and Cortina D'Ampezzo (Italy)
    1. 1 2 3 4 For the 1994 Lillehammer Games, the flame for the national torch relay was lit at Sondre Norheim's birthplace in Morgedal, where the official 1952 & 1960 flames were lit in the same manner. The original plan to merge it with the official Olympia flame at Oslo was abandoned due to Greek opposition; only the official flame was used in the opening ceremony. All statistics are for the national torch relay only. The Morgedal flame was maintained and later used at the 1994 Winter Paralympics.

    Youth Summer Olympic Games

    Site of the Olympic GamesDaysTotal length (in km)Total number of torchbearersRoute
    Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore 2010 2226,700+2,400+ Olympia (Greece) – Berlin (Germany) - Dakar (Senegal) - Mexico City (Mexico) - Auckland (New Zealand) - Seoul (South Korea) - Singapore
    Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Nanjing 2014 108104 Athens (Greece) - 258 different online locations from the 204 participating NOCs - Nanjing (People's Republic of China)
    Flag of Argentina.svg Buenos Aires 2018 6314,000- Athens (Greece) - La Plata (Buenos Aires) - Parana (Entre Rios) - Santa Fe (Santa Fe) - Iguazu (Misiones) - Corrientes (Corrientes) - Jujuy (Jujuy) - Salta (Salta) - Tucuman (Tucuman) - Catamarca (Catamarca) - La Rioja (La Rioja) - Mendoza (Mendoza) - San Juan (San Juan) - Cordoba (Cordoba) - Neuquen (Neuquen) - Bariloche (Rio Negro) - Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego) - Buenos Aires (Federal Capital) (Argentina)
    Flag of Senegal.svg Dakar 2026 --- Athens (Greece) - Dakar (Senegal)

    Youth Winter Olympic Games

    Site of the Olympic GamesDaysTotal length (in km)Total number of torchbearersRoute
    Flag of Austria.svg Innsbruck 2012 183,5732,012 Olympia (Greece) - Innsbruck - Bregenz - St. Anton am Arlberg - Lienz - Klagenfurt - Semmering - Wien - Graz - Eisenstadt - St. Pölten - Linz - Salzburg - Schladming - Seefeld in Tirol - Kühtai - Kufstein - Innsbruck (Austria)
    Flag of Norway.svg Lillehammer 2016 74-- Athens (Greece) - Lillehammer - Alta - Oslo - Gjøvik - Otta - Elverum - Trysil - Lillehammer (Norway)
    Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Lausanne 2020 110-- Athens (Greece) - Lausanne - Morges - NyonYverdon-les-Bains - Payerne - Aigle - Ollon - University of Lausanne - Échallens - Château-d'Œx - Prilly - Bourg-en-Lavaux - Lausanne - Geneva - Neuchâtel - Lausanne (Switzerland)
    Flag of South Korea.svg Gangwon 2024 47-- Athens (Greece) - Gangwon Province (South Korea)

    See also

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    The 1952 Winter Olympics torch relay was the first time that a flame was transported as part of the build-up to the Winter Olympics. While similar to the inaugural Summer Olympics torch relay of 1936 the Olympic Flame did not start in Olympia, instead the relay began in Morgedal, Norway, the birthplace of competitive skiing. Indeed, the Norwegian Olympic Committee were keen to stress that this was not the traditional transfer of the Olympic flame but a separate event that symbolised the use of torches while skiing in the dark. It was not until the 1964 Winter Olympics that the relay could be said to transport a true Olympic flame originating from Olympia.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Summer Olympics torch relay</span>

    The 2000 Summer Olympics torch relay was the transferral of the Olympic Flame to Sydney, Australia, that built up to the 2000 Summer Olympics. The torch travelled to various island nations as part of a tour of Oceania before beginning an extensive journey around Australia. For the first time the Flame was taken underwater, with a special flare-like torch taken on a dive down to the Great Barrier Reef. At the opening ceremony the cauldron was lit by Aboriginal athlete Cathy Freeman.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Summer Olympics torch relay</span>

    The 1996 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from April 27, 1996, until July 19, 1996, prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The route covered 26,875 kilometers (16,699 mi) across the United States and included a trek on the Pony Express, a ride on the Union Pacific Railroad, and a torch was taken into outer space for the first time. The relay involved over 12,000 torchbearers, including Muhammad Ali, who was chosen to ignite the Olympic cauldron.

    The 1988 Winter Olympics torch relay was run from November 15, 1987, to February 13, 1988, prior to the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics.

    The 1952 Summer Olympics torch relay was the symbolic transport of the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, to the venue of the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, where it featured as part of the opening ceremony.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Winter Olympics torch relay</span>

    The 2022 Winter Olympics torch relay was run from 18 October 2021 until 4 February 2022. After it was lit in Olympia, Greece, the torch traveled in a symbolic relay to Athens on 19 October. The Chinese leg ended in Beijing National Stadium, at the end of the opening ceremony. On 20 October 2021, it was announced that the Chinese leg will have only three days, following a series of displays of the flame in various Chinese cities, starting on 2 February, at the morning of the first day of the Chinese New Year as stage 3. Unlike the previous relays, the relay only visited the three venues clusters, the main sights of Beijing and the city of Zhangjiakou. The final torch was lit by long-distance runner Dilnigar Ilhamjan and nordic combined Zhao Jiawen.

    References

    1. Bowlby, Chris. "The Olympic torch's shadowy past", BBC News , 2008-03-05. Retrieved on 2009-10-21.
    2. Zinser, Lynn (March 27, 2009). "I.O.C. Bars International Torch Relays". The New York Times . Retrieved August 3, 2012.
    3. "Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Torch". Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
    4. "A Torch for the XVII Olympic Winter Games - Lillehammer, Norway, 1994". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
    5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-02. Retrieved 2010-12-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    6. "2002 Olympic Torch Relay Route". PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2008.
    7. "Provincial and territorial routes", Vancouver 2010 official site, listing the exact stops on the tour.