It will then travel around Greece. Around 10,000 torchbearers are expected to take part in this year's Olympic torch relay. What happens during the lighting ceremony and why is it so important?

Has it ever been too smokey? You bet! But most of the time, the torch goes out or just won’t light. That’s why Olympic planners always keep a secret weapon on hand — backup flames!

France chose a few select athletes to receive the Olympic torch and light the cauldron, marking the unofficial start of the games. Here's a look at who lit the Olympic cauldron and a history of ...

The flame is eventually used to light the first runner's torch — champagne-colored this ... mechanism mentioned by ancient writers in a non-Olympic context, and served the desire to blend ...

The flame for the 9th Asian Winter Games was lit Monday at the Sun Island Scenic Area in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang ...

Per tradition, the torch was lit on April 15 in Olympia, Greece, honoring the historical birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games, which date back to 776 BC. Once lit, 600 torchbearers carried the ...

The AP team in Athens went above and beyond across formats to get exclusive access to the behind-the-scenes operation of lighting the Olympic flame, producing excellent work for both traditional and ...

Greek actress Mary Mina will play the role of the High Priestess that will use a parabolic polished mirror at the Temple of Hera to make sun rays light the Olympic torch. The team had to pit in ...