MODERN OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY BEGAN IN 1928 IN AMSTERDAM

The first recorded Olympic Games began in Olympia, Greece, in 776 B.C. The flame was born in a temple erected by ancient Greeks to honor Hera, a powerful mythical god, historians say.

The ancient Greeks used the sun's rays to light a flame using skaphia, a type of crucible. Now a parabolic mirror helps light the flame, which is carried to a public ceremony and handed to the first torch runner.

From Olympia, the flame is carried across Greece to Athens and across the world.

The modern Olympic torch relay became a tradition in 1928 when a flame was lit for the Amsterdam Games and remained burning at the stadium entrance. Dr. Carl Diern of Germany was inspired by Greek drawings and created the first relay from Olympia to Berlin for the 1936 games.

The torch relay does not represent the passing of a torch, but celebrates the passing of a sacred flame from one torch to the next. The flame symbolizes the light of spirit, knowledge and life.

By passing it from one person to the next in stages, the torch relay is handing the symbolic fire from generation to generation.