2004 Summer Olympics torch relay

The 2004 Summer Olympics Torch Relay took the Olympic Flame across every habitable continent, returning to Athens, Greece. Every city which had hosted, will host, or coincidentally elected to host the Summer Olympics until the 2028 Summer Olympics was visited or revisited by the torch, as well as several other cities chosen for their international importance. The main reason why the torch relay went around the world was to highlight the fact that the Olympic Games were started in Greece (in ancient times) and in modern times have been held around the world and then took place in Greece in 2004.

Host cityAthens, Greece
Countries visitedGreece, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Egypt, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Albania
Start date25 March 2004 (2004-03-25)
End date13 August 2004 (2004-08-13)
For the first time, the Olympic Flame circumnavigated the globe, starting in Olympia in advance of the 2004 games.
Olympic Torch Relay Jet – Zeus (Registration TF-ARO)

The relay was the first time the Olympic flame had travelled to Africa and South America. The flame was transported from country to country aboard a specially-equipped Boeing 747 leased from Atlanta Icelandic (Registration TF-ARO) called Zeus. On board the flame was carried and burned continuously in specially modified miners lamps.

Route in Greece (first phase)

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25 March:

26 March:

27 March:

28 March:

29 March:

30 March:

31 March:

International Route

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The International Leg of the 2004 Olympic Torch Relay officially began on 4 June 2004, when the flame touched down in Sydney, Australia, previous host city of the 2000 Summer Olympics. In Sydney, it visited Stadium Australia, the 2000 Summer Olympics main venue, prior to the National Rugby League match between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters;[1] in Melbourne, it visited the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the 1956 Summer Olympics main venue, at half-time of the Australian Football League match between Hawthorn and Essendon.[2]

Route in Oceania

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Date Map

4 June: Sydney, Australia (host city of the 2000 Summer Olympics)
5 June: Melbourne (host city of the 1956 Summer Olympics)

Route in Asia

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Date Map

6 June: Tokyo, Japan (host city of the 1964 Summer Olympics and later hosted the 2020 Summer Olympics)
7 June: Seoul, South Korea (host city of the 1988 Summer Olympics)
8 June: Beijing, China (host city of the 2008 Summer Olympics and later hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics,turned the first dual host city in history)
10 June: Delhi, India

Route in Africa

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Date Map

11 June: Cairo, Egypt
12 June: Cape Town, South Africa

Route in Americas

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Date Map

13 June: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (later chosen to be the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics)
15 June: Mexico City, Mexico (host city of the 1968 Summer Olympics)
16 June: Los Angeles, United States (host city of the 1932, 1984 and later the host for the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics)
17 June: St. Louis (host city of the 1904 Summer Olympics)
18 June: Atlanta (host city of the 1996 Summer Olympics)
19 June: New York (headquarters of United Nations)
20 June: Montreal, Canada (host city of the 1976 Summer Olympics)

Route in Europe (excluding Greece)

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Date Map

21 June: Antwerp, Belgium (host city of the 1920 Summer Olympics)
22 June: Brussels
23 June: Amsterdam, Netherlands (host city of the 1928 Summer Olympics)
24 June: Geneva, Switzerland (headquarters of League of Nations and many United Nations agencies)
Lausanne (headquarters of the International Olympic Committee and host city of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics)
25 June: Paris, France (host city of the 1900, 1924 and 2024 Summer Olympics)
26 June: London, United Kingdom (host city of the 1908, 1948 and the 2012 Summer Olympics)
27 June: Madrid, Spain
Barcelona (host city of the 1992 Summer Olympics)
28 June: Rome, Italy (host city of the 1960 Summer Olympics)
29 June: Munich, Germany (host city of the 1972 Summer Olympics)
30 June: Berlin (host city of the 1936 Summer Olympics)
1 July: Stockholm, Sweden (host city of the 1912 Summer Olympics and the
equestrian events of the 1956 Summer Olympics)
2 July: Helsinki, Finland (host city of the 1952 Summer Olympics)
3 July: Moscow, Russia (host city of the 1980 Summer Olympics)
5 July: Kyiv, Ukraine
6 July: Istanbul, Turkey
7 July: Sofia, Bulgaria
8 July: Nicosia, Cyprus

The International Leg of the 2004 Olympic Torch Relay concluded on July 8, 2004, just over a month after it began its global journey and just over a month before the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony on 13 August 2004.

Route in Greece (second phase)

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9 July (day 1)

10 July (day 2)

11 July (day 3)

12 July (day 4)

13 July (day 5)

14 July (day 6)

15 July (day 7)

16 July (day 8)

17 July (day 9)

18 July (day 10)

19 July (day 11)

20 July (day 12)

21 July (day 13)

22 July (day 14)

23 July (day 15)

24 July (day 16)

25 July (day 17)

26 July (day 18)

27 July (day 19)

28 July (day 20)

29 July (day 21)

30 July (day 22)

31 July (day 23)

1 August (day 24)

2 August (day 25)

3 August (day 26)

4 August (day 27)

5 August (day 28):

6 August (day 29):

7 August (day 30):

8 August (day 31):

9 August (day 32):

10 August (day 33):

11 August (day 34):

12–13 August (days 35 & 36):

After visiting Cyprus, the Greek Leg of the Torch Relay resumed on 9 July 2004, with the flame touching down in Crete in the city of Heraklion. During the Greek Leg of the relay, the torch also made a cursory stopover in Albania when the torch was carried through a lake on the Greek-Albanian border.

Aftermath

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A scene of Olympic Torch Relay 2004 in New Delhi, India on 10 June 2004
 
A scene of Olympic Torch Relay 2004 in New Delhi, India on 10 June 2004

The International Olympic Committee has indicated that, due to the success of the 2004 run, they might sanction a global circumnavigation of the flame before every succeeding Olympics. However, those plans were abandoned in March 2009 due to the protests in the international leg of the torch relay of the 2008 Summer Olympics (with an exception made for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games).[3][4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Torch carries a teenager's dreams". Sydney Morning Herald. 6 May 2004. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Torch returns to the MCG". Essendon Football Club. 2 June 2004. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  3. ^ "IOC Scraps International Torch Relays". Around the Rings. Archived from the original on 27 October 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  4. ^ "IOC scraps international torch relays". DAWN.COM. AFP. 28 March 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
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