Most Memorable Lightings of the Olympic Cauldron

One of the biggest moments of all Olympic Games is the lightning of the Olympic cauldron. It opens the Games officially at the end of the opening ceremonies. It is a crucial moment with millions watching it around the world. No wonder the pressure is great on the organizers. Most of the time they all went fine and there were some exceptional ones in the most memorable lighting of the Olympic cauldron. 

Before every Olympic Games as per the tradition, the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia, Greece. Then the Olympic torch relay transfers the flame to the host city. With reaching its destination, the Olympic cauldron on the day of the opening ceremony. So now the flame is in Tokyo, even though we have to wait one more year to see it lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening of the XXXII. Olympic Games. 

In the most memorable lighting of the Olympic cauldron, we find archers and flying gymnasts

Probably most people remember the moment when an archer lit the cauldron in the opening ceremony of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Paralympic archer Antonio Rebello received the flame from Spanish basketball player Juan Antonio San Ezifanio. Then he aimed his arrow towards the seven-story high cauldron. But what most of us don’t know is that he aimed behind the stadium and his arrow landed into a sandbox. The cauldron was lit by an automatic system, but it was still a very effective way to start the Games. 

Really spectacular was the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which was held in the amazing Bird’s Nest stadium with more than 15,000 performers. The show represented the Chinese history and culture, and included fireworks and 2,000 Fou drums. At the climax of the ceremony, former 3-time Olympic gold medalist gymnast Li Ning received the flame and ran a lap in the air while being suspended by a cable. It surely belongs to the most memorable lightning of the Olympic cauldron. Beijing will host the next Winter Olympic Games in 2022, odds are already available for top medalist countries on 1xBet. 

Famous athletes to lit the cauldron

In other cases, organizers stayed with more simple methods to light the cauldron but chose real superstars. Like it happened in Atlanta in the 1996 Olympics, when the cauldron was lit by Muhammad Ali. It was very touching to see The Greatest, who was already suffering from Alzheimer’s disease at that time. Other famous athletes who had the honor to play this important part include Cathy Freeman, who managed to win the gold in the same Olympics in 2000 Sydney in 400m. Or one of the most famous ice-hockey players, Wayne Gretzky in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. And even Michel Platini took part in the lightning in another Winter Olympics in 1992 in Albertville. 

Other memorable Olympic openings

The opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics was one of the most entertaining. Thanks to its director, Academy Awards winner director Danny Boyle. The show was brilliant with great music and typical English humor, including a cameo from the Queen, Daniel Craig as James Bond and Mr. Bean. Maybe the lightning of the cauldron wasn’t that brilliant but was original. As six young athletes and one volunteer young ambassador lit some of the 204 petals representing the 204 participating countries. Once the flame spread to all petals, their pipes rose and formed a cauldron. The next big event in London will be the final of Euro2021, according to 1xBet Sportsbook. Where England is in the favorites to win the tournament.  

Olympics in Tokyo

The first Olympic Games in Tokyo, in 1964, was the first Olympics from Asia. Also, it was the first time that the opening ceremony was broadcast live in color, as online sportsbook news in Japan is still remembering. The organizers did a great job after producing a show with balloons, electronic music, fireworks. They even used airplanes that drew the Olympic Rings in the air. The person they chose to light the cauldron was a young athlete Yoshinori Sakai. He was born in Hiroshima on the day when the atomic bomb was dropped on the city. Probably there will be a different type of ceremony next year in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Online gambling sites in Japan are hoping for a great performance from the home team. Their odds to top the medal table is 18.00 at the moment. 

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