Links

The Origin of the Olympic Torch Relay

By Klaus Fink, Sonja Junginger

The origin of the torch relay involves plenty of myths and often only hints of truth. [1] We decided to pick up the chronological data from the references and reconstruct the story by confirming what can be confirmed and by putting the information into a larger context. We conclude that there is no "one truth" about the genesis of the torch relay. However, there is a vague chronological order that we are presenting here. The first Olympic Torch Relay is organised on the occasion of the Olympic Games Berlin, 1936 [A] [B]. The Planning and Organisation is ascribed to Carl Diem. 25. 08. 1931 "Am Geburtstage eines neuen Plans“" - "On the birthday of a new plan" - Carl Diem took this notes into the guestbook of his friend Walter F. Kleffel. [2] 31. 07. 1933 according to Carl Diem, his idea gains – "full approval" - "volle Zustimmung", of Pierre de Coubertin and the - joyful approval - "freudige Zustimmung",of Baillet-Latour during a conversation.[3] 18. 05. 1934 Proposal and approval of the plan, during the 1934 meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Athens.[4] 22. 05. 1934 During the passage from Athens to Olympia Carl Diem and his companion stay in Tegea. It is likely that they discussed the "Fackelstaffellauf" (torch relay race). This makes the Tegeats wrongly believe that the idea has born there. [4] 23. 05. 1934 Final clarification of the organisational details and finetuning with the Hellenic Organisation Committee (HOC), during a banquet in Olympia. The HOC president hands over an olive-branch with a blue-white ribbon to the mayor of Olympia. This olive-branch should be send on 1936 with a courier to Berlin, like a – a consecration from the homeland - "Weihe dieser Spiele von ihrer Heimat her". Subsequently is it being transported by a Lufthansa Airplane from Athens to Berlin on occasion of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games 1936. [4] 17. 08. 1934 The Tegeats mount a plaque on the place in Tegea where Carl Diem and his campaigns had stayed.[4] 20. 07. 1936 Olympia, 12; the lighting of the Olympic flame by priestess Koula Pratsika. She lights the fire by placing a piece of wood in a concave lens which concentrates rays from the Sun. In a before setted route the flame was delivered to the Opening ceremony of the Olympic Summer Games Berlin, 1936. The first torchbearer of the very first torch relay is a Greek: Konstantin Kondylis;[5] 01. 08. 1936 Berlin, 5 pm; the last torchbearer is Fritz Schilgen, a German athlete. [5] He lights the bowl with the Olympic Fire on the Olympic stadium in Berlin. Berlin, 5:25 pm; Spiridon Louis, the winner of the marathon run Athens 1896, hands over the olive -branch to the German chancellor, Adolf Hitler. [4] PARALYMPICS 1948, England Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition involving World War II veterans with a spinal cord injury in Stoke Mandeville, England. 1952 Competitors from the Netherlands joined the games and an international movement was born. 1960, Rome Olympic style games for athletes with a disability were organized for the first time in Rome in 1960, now called Paralympics. 1976,Toronto Other disability groups were added and the idea of merging together different disability groups for international sport competitions was born. In the same year, the first Paralympic Winter Games took place in Sweden. 1988 Seoul The first Paralympic Torch Relay Concluding remarks: During the research especially concerning Carl Diem, the authors have to recognize that unfortunately there is no complex scientific work with free public access. That is very pity, because critical argumentation testifies scientific independence and raise its credibility. References:   Olympische Lauffeuer von Walter Borgers unter Mitarbeit von Dietrich R. Quanz Hg.: Carl und Liselott Diem-Archiv, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln Olympic Torch Relays von Walter Borgers, Agon Sportverlag 1996 [1]   Der Kölner Sporthistoriker Dr. Manfred Lämmer, in einem Interview mit dem Morgenecho 05.07.2004. "Bei vielen Geschichten rund um Olympia handle es sich um - Halbwahrheiten -, wir müssen uns immer wieder vor Augen halten, dass die Spiele, die Pierre de Coubertin 1894 gegründet hat, das Lebensgefühl Ende des 19 Jahrhunderts spiegelten -und nicht ein griechisches Vorbild." "Der Fackellauf hat mit dem antiken Olympia nichts zu tun. 1928 brannte zum ersten Mal ein olympisches Feuer auf dem Stadionturm. 1936 hat dann Carl Diem die Idee gehabt, dieses Feuer nicht nur anzuzünden, sondern mit dem Fackelstaffellauf symbolisch an den Ort der olympischen Spiele zu holen." [2]   "Über die Anfänge der Planungen für einen Fackelstaffellauf Olympia - Berlin liegen in DIEM's Nachlaß unterschiedliche Dokumente vor. Die früheste Datierung...Am Geburtstage eines Planes". Olympische Lauffeuer von Walter Borgers unter Mitarbeit von Dietrich R. Quanz Hg.: Carl und Liselott Diem-Archiv, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln 1994, S.10 [3]   Olympische Lauffeuer von Walter Borgers unter Mitarbeit von Dietrich R. Quanz Hg.: Carl und Liselott Diem-Archiv, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln 1994, S.10 [4]   Olympische Lauffeuer von Walter Borgers unter Mitarbeit von Dietrich R. Quanz Hg.: Carl und Liselott Diem-Archiv, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln 1994, S.12 [5]   Olympic Torch Relays von Walter Borgers, Agon Sportverlag 1996 S.45 Links   Some links are German webpages and in german language: Carl und Liselott Diem-Archiv www.kbs-koeln - more about the torch relay history and Carl Diem Diskussion um Carl Diem Informationsdienst Wissenschaft www.nok.de www.dailytimes.com www.sport.uni-hamburg.de - Sporthistory International Olympic Academy olympic museum.de Olympia Lexikon Paralympc.org International Tennis federation Sydney 2000, Paralympic Torch Relay Athen Paralympics Torch Relay Paralympics Sidney kostasZfondation Griechische Antike und Mythologie ZDF, Olympia in der Antike Spiele der Hellenen Sportmuseum Leipzig Sport im Dritten Reich

---

Impressum    © 2004 Junginger/Fink