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The Olympic torch relay is the ceremonial relaying of the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, to the site of an Olympic Games. It was invented by the Nazis and was first performed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as a way for Hitler to spread Nazi influence to other countries and to highlight the Aryan connections of Germany to Greece.[1] It has taken place prior to every Games since.
Although in the past some Olympic organizing committees organized torch relays which encompassed multiple countries, the International Olympic Committee now restricts international relays due to the protests during the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay, in which the relay was met with protests at several international sites on its way to Beijing, China.[2]
- ^ Bowlby, Chris. "The Olympic torch's shadowy past", BBC News, 2008-03-05. Retrieved on 2009-10-21.
- ^ Zinser, Lynn (March 27, 2009). "I.O.C. Bars International Torch Relays". The New York Times. Retrieved August 3, 2012.