The True Meaning of the Olympic Torch, Comes from the Fire Within

The Olympics are more than just the sum of weights, miles, and technique that make up the best athletes in the world. Olympians build their own foundation in a similar way that the Olympics has constructed itself over the years. When Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympics Committee in 1894, he was motivated to bring together the old and the new. With each Olympic year, old traditions such as the Olympic Torch Relay, evolve to implement the new. The 2024 Paris Olympic games had modern breakthroughs that showcase just how everchanging the games are, starting with the tradition of the Torch relay.

The Olympics is built upon a foundation of tradition. The Torch relay is one of the long-lasting traditions of the Olympic games that kick off the opening ceremonies. This relay connects athletes to one another by passing along a lit torch. According to Hilary Bales, a tour guide at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne Switzerland, the power of the flame represents the passing of peace, friendships and connection. These values not only surface in the stories from Olympians at the games themselves, but also through what the Olympics mean to everyday individuals from people all over the world.

The wide representation of age, gender and culture are what make the Olympics a universal event that brings together athletes, fans, volunteers, and other individuals from all over the world. Setting new records and breaking new boundaries is the product of an old foundation that France represented remarkably when hosting the 2024 Olympic Games. This year marks the first Olympic games to have equal gender representation, proving Coubertin’s vision to stretch beyond what he likely imagined when he first founded the IOC.

From the hands of 20-year-old tennis player Coco Gauff to Charles Coste, a 100-year-old gold medalist in a wheelchair, the 2024 Olympic torch was met with the grasp of athletes from all ages, genders, cultures and walks of life. The spark that Coubertin began is the power of connection united under the gathering of sport. The power of connection begins with the passing of the Olympic torch, the fire that fuels the connection of the Olympic games every four years.

“We all have different things we find interesting and love to talk about,” Bales said to the group of students from Louisiana State Universities Olympics Project group, while they took a tour of the museum. “Different guides will tell you different things. I tell you what I find interesting because that is what inspires me.”

Everyone has something that fuels their personal catalyst. To Bales, the Olympics mean inspiration. The Olympic flame doesn’t only impact competing athletes, the torch has embedded itself into the spirit of fans, volunteers, and other individuals. This is where inspiration varies, and personal meanings are drawn. As Bales shares her favorite facts and stories about athletes during her guided tours, she passes on a torch of her own to those who are willing to listen.

Standing with glimmer in her eyes, Bales told the story of friendship between Olympians, Jessie Owens and Luz Long.

During the 1936 Berlin Olympic games Owens and Long competed against one another in the long jump event. When Owens was facing what could have been his last jump after two fouled attempts, his competitor, Long, approached him. He assured Owens that he could easily clear the distance, if not, clear it five times. That he did. After a few jumps back and forth between the men, Owens final attempt wrapped the gold medal around his neck. The strength Long passed to Owens, refueled the fire within his own confidence to perform in the moment. For Long, the Olympics no longer meant being the best in that moment, but it meant being there for his competitor despite their rivalry. Owens’ torch ran out of fuel and Long’s reassurance was the spark to revive his dying flame.

Her story brought unexpected emotion to the students from Louisiana State University’s Olympics Project group who looked to one another and smiled with tears in their eyes. Bales sparked an emotional connection to the athlete’s story of friendship beyond the game itself, which is what the Olympics has grown to do. Experiences are the stories people carry with them that allow their personal flame to continue burning. When cultures from all over the world are brought together under one common umbrella, it creates an opportunity for ordinary moments to develop into something greater.

Communication is represented on one of the largest possible scales when surrounded by individuals from an abundance of cultures at an event as large as the Olympics. 21-year-old Kenny Owens-Nguyen finds that sports are what create a bridge for cultural and language barriers. He was brought to the Olympics among a group of students from Gonzaga University studying international sports management. Being able to experience one of the largest events in the world related to his career path, is a what brings the Olympics more meaning to Nguyen, than just the games themselves.

“The Olympics mean bringing people together,” Nguyen said. “It gives all of these people the opportunity to contribute and participate.” 

The variation in the way people contribute and participate, is what makes each individuals experience significant. Throughout his time in France, Nguyen gained friendships of his own under the umbrella of sport when playing basketball with local French people.

“Obviously there was a language barrier,” Nguyen said. “But the sport made everything flow because everyone knew how to communicate basketball wise. It was a really a unique experience.”

The meaning of sport can translate into the ability to communicate with one another even when communication seems impossible. When differences often separate people, the Olympics fosters an atmosphere where sports become the universal way to communicate.

Nguyen was one among the crowd of 48,721 fans packed into Stade Vélodrome for the Men’s France vs. United States futbol game on the evening of July 24, 2024. Each fan packed into the stadium was fueled with pride for their countries team, but when the United States national anthem radiated throughout the stadium, rivalry and alliance met its match. France fans turned their heads to observe the Americans who proudly sung each verse.

When letting out their last breath, “home of the brave,” was met with the overwhelming applause of everyone in the stands. The two fires that sparked from different countries, fueled the  torch that united everyone attending the game.

“The ability to accept and appreciate unique fan bases, is really how all of these people from different places and different backgrounds are able to mesh together,” Nguyen said. “They’re all uniting under the sport.”

This connectivity is represented in the design of the Olympic flag itself. The flag symbolizes togetherness amidst differences. Bales explained that the five intertwined rings stand for the five continents of the world. She added that,

“Everyone can find at least one color of the Olympics flag, within their own countries flag.”

This is what makes each of the six colors on the flag equally important. When all the people come together to the host country for the games, no country is more important than the other. The flag stands for everybody all at once and gives every individual an opportunity to embrace the excitement of the games together.

21-year-old Olympics volunteer, Clementine Mortimer, moved to Paris for her French studies and seized the opportunity to be part of the exciting atmosphere. She applied as a volunteer and landed a position assisting the fans attending tennis matches inside Stade Roland-Garros.

“It’s not just in this stadium, there’s an atmosphere in the entire city,” Mortimer said. “Everyone comes together and its incredible to see that it’s completely taken over the whole city.”

The streets of Paris are a reflection of Mortimer’s words. Fans from all over the world roam the streets, representing their country in different ways. Just like Olympics flag symbolizes, the colors of countries from all over the world paint the streets with their clothes, jerseys and face paint.

“It feels like the Olympics are all over the place,” Mortimer said. “Everyone is watching it.”

As the festivities spread throughout the streets, it’s an opportunity to learn about hundreds of cultures without having to travel to countries individually. However, it’s also a chance for the host country to spread its own culture. The people of France opened up their cities allowing them to come together and experience who they are. The torch is left in their hands to show the rest of the world what makes them so special.

“The Olympics is a way to gather people, share a moment all together and to just have fun,” Olympics volunteer Kevin Seetha said. “French people are so proud to have the Olympics in France. It’s welcoming everyone to our country and enjoying it together.”

From one person to the next, one country to the next, and one culture to the next, the Olympics torch passes on a valuable meaning that goes far beyond sports. It’s the moments when cultural differences are set aside where sport becomes the bridge that breaks all barriers. As people cross the bridge, connections form and memories begin. These are the stories that fuel the flame within everyone. The Olympics is a place where togetherness is curated for each individual who walks the bridge, but it’s the meaning that becomes dependent on whose hands the torch is passed from.