Was the Olympic Flame ever lit outside Greece?
by 
wickedwillie
ANSWERS: 3
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No. At least not the initial lighting. The flame is lit in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera, by actresses playing the part of priestesses. The choreography and costumes used in the ceremony are based on those of Antiquity. The flame is lit according to an ancient method, using the sun and a concave recipient (a parabolic mirror). The sun’s rays, concentrated at the centre of the recipient, cause an intense heat which allows a flame to be obtained. The high priestess responsible for this operation then passes the flame to the first runner who carries the official torch of the Games. The Olympic flame can only be lit in this way. [Added in response to Drinking Dano] According to the Olympics website, this is the method used to light the flame in the ancient olympics. http://www.athens2004.com/en/FooterFaqs/faq?oid=75ea569c0ea0af00VgnVCMServer28130b0aRCRD
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I remember a news item about one of the torch bearers: on a windy day while running with the torch, it blew out. A bystander offered to relight it with a pocket lighter. After doing so successfully, the runner continued on his way, torch relit. I saw it on TV some years back - they had it on video... On another occasion, the torch in the olympic stadium went out during the games and was relit by a guy with a lighter or match... I do not know if this addresses the intent of your question...
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Yes it was lit outside of Greece. The Olympic Flame burned at the Winter Olympics in 1936 and 1948, but the first torch relay occurred at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. The fire was not ignited in Olympia, but in Morgedal, Norway, in the fireplace of the home of Sondre Norheim, who pioneered the sport of skiing. The fire was also lit there in 1960 and in 1994. Except for 1956, the relay started in Olympia for all other Winter Games. In 1956, the relay began in Rome. The Olympic Flame or Olympic Fire is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, when a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the Olympics in 1928, and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since. The modern torch relay was introduced by Adolf Hitler, at the Berlin Games of 1936, as part of an effort to turn the games into a glorification of the Third Reich. But despite its Nazi origin, the torch ceremony is still practiced as of 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Flame
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