The Olympic flame is one of the greatest symbols of the Olympic Games. A few months before the beginning of the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia, Greece. Using Olympic torches, the flame is then passed from hand to hand until it reaches its final destination—the site of the Olympic Games.

 

The flame’s journey is called the Olympic torch relay, and it has been an Olympic tradition since the 1936 Berlin Games. Thousands of people participate in the torch relay, spanning hundreds—sometimes thousands—of kilometres. Once the flame has reached its final destination, it becomes an integral part of the opening ceremony and is used to light a giant cauldron. Once the cauldron is lit the Games are declared officially open. The cauldron continues to burn until the end of the Games.

 

At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Australian athlete Cathy Freeman was given the honour of running the final leg of the torch relay to light the cauldron at the opening ceremony.

Have you heard of Handball? Synchronised swimming? Curling? Luge?

 

All of these are Olympic sports. Handball originated in Europe and was first played at the Summer Games in 1936. It is a fast-paced team sport where players pass, throw, catch and dribble a round leather ball while trying to score goals.

 

Synchronised swimming has been a part of the Summer Olympics since 1984. Originally known as water ballet, it involves competitors performing routines to music in the water.

 

Curling is another winter sport, and has been part of the Olympic program since 1924. It is played on ice and involves two teams using brooms to push a stone as close to a target as possible. The winner is the team with the highest score at the end of the game.

 

Luge is the French word for ‘sled’, and has been a Winter Olympic sport since 1964. Luges are raced along icy racetracks with the aim being to complete the track in the fastest time.

 

Some unusual sports no longer played at the Olympic Games are tug-of-war, polo, croquet and lacrosse.