Is the Olympic Torch always lit? Everything about the Paris Olympics flame which was ignited months before the start of competition

The Olympic torch, or Olympic flame, must remain lit from the moment it is ignited at the Olympia in Greece, months before the actual games. The torch then travels from nation to nation and is passed from person to person, with only one simple rule to be followed: the flame should not be put out. The flame only gets extinguished at the closing ceremony of the games.

After the torch is first lit in Olympia a few months before the games, it marks the beginning of the torch relay tradition, where torchbearers transport it to the host city after months of travel from one country to another.

Upon reaching the host city, the torch relay reaches its conclusion after the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Olympics. The kindling of the torch symbolizes the historical connection between the ancient and modern Olympic Games.

The Olympic torch tradition came into existence at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, where the flames were put in a bowl atop a slender tower also known as "the Marathon Tower." The purpose of the flame at the time was to navigate the location of the games from afar.

The Olympic torch's sacred significance was derived from some ancient Greek ceremonies where the flame was left burning during an ancient Olympic event, and as per Greek mythology, it was later believed that the fire was taken from the gods by Prometheus.

At the ancient games, a flame was lit to honor Zeus and his wife Hera and to pay respect to Hera, the flame is still ignited every two years in front of the ruins of her temple.

What happens when the Olympic torch goes out?

Opening Ceremony: Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 0 (Source: Getty)

The modern Olympic torch is designed in such a way that there are the rarest chances of it ever going out. The torch contains two flames inside to rule out the inevitable.

However, if the Olympic torch ever goes out, it has to be rekindled immediately using backup flames that also travel along with the torch during the relay.

There have been five occasions when the Olympic flame has gone out. The first instance came at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, when heavy rainstorms during the opening ceremony of the games became the reason for it going out.

The other four occurrences were recorded at the Athens Olympics, the 2008 Beijing Games, the 2012 London Olympics, and the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.