History of Olympic Torch- Origin, Lighting and Relaying

• The games took a 1500 year hiatus, resulting in the halting of the lighting and relay of the Torch. 
• The games restarted in 1896, and the tradition of the flame was restored in 1928. 
• The torch relay was also resumed in 1936 under Hitler.

For a few years, the Olympic Torch flame was lit in Norway instead of the original place, Olympia. Later, a rule was formed that an Olympic flame is only when it is kindled in Olympia, under the watch of the International Olympic Committee.

Olympic torches represent the host country and are designed from scratch every four years. It is tested under harsh conditions, and the approved one then has thousands of replicas that are paraded across the world.

Various fuels have been burned up in the Olympic torches, like gunpowder, olive oil and various metals. Modern Olympics use a mixture of propane and butane.

The Olympic torch travels by train, boats, cars, carts and even aeroplanes. It has gone in space three times and even underwater.

Special protocols are used to ensure safety during transporting the flame by air, by preserving it in a ‘miner’s lamp’ and policing it by trained firefighters throughout the journey.