Editing Olympic flame (section)

===Olympic cauldron designs===
The cauldron and the pedestal are always the subjects of unique and often dramatic design. These also tie in with ''how'' the cauldron is lit during the Opening Ceremony. After being lit, the flame in the Olympic cauldron continues to burn during the Games, until the [[Olympic closing ceremonies|closing ceremony]], when it is finally put out symbolizing the official end of the Games.

*In Los Angeles in 1984, [[Rafer Johnson]] lit a wick at the top of the archway after having climbed a big flight of steps. The flame flared up a pipe, through the Olympic Rings, and on up the side of the tower to ignite the cauldron. The cauldron used in 1984 is the centerpiece of the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]]; it was used in 1932 and will likely also be used in 2028.
*In Atlanta in 1996, the cauldron was an artistic [[scroll]] decorated in red and gold. It was lit by [[Muhammad Ali]], using a mechanical, self-propelling fuse ball that transported the flame up a wire from the stadium to its cauldron.<ref>{{YouTube|id=5TaITzi64Sw|title=1996 Atlanta Opening Ceremonies&nbsp;— Lighting of the Cauldron}}</ref> At the [[1996 Summer Paralympics]], the scroll was lit by [[paraplegic]] [[climbing|climber]] [[Mark Wellman]], hoisting himself up a rope to the cauldron.
*In the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in Sydney, [[Cathy Freeman]] walked across a circular pool of water and ignited the cauldron through the water, surrounding herself within a ring of fire. The planned spectacular climax to the ceremony was delayed by the technical glitch of a computer switch that malfunctioned, causing the sequence to shut down by giving a false reading. This meant that the Olympic flame was suspended in mid-air for about four minutes, rather than immediately rising up a water-covered ramp to the top of the stadium. When it was discovered what the problem was, the program was overridden and the cauldron continued up the ramp, where it finally rested on a tall silver pedestal.
*In the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, the cauldron was lit by the members of the winning 1980 US hockey team. After being skated around the centre ice rink there in the stadium, the flame was carried up a staircase to the team members, who then lit a wick of sorts at the bottom of the cauldron tower which set off a line of flames that travelled up inside the tower until it reached the cauldron at the top which ignited. This cauldron was the first to use glass and incorporated running water to prevent the glass from heating and to keep it clean.
*For the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] in Athens, the cauldron was a giant reproduction of the Olympic torch that year which was based on an olive leaf; it bowed down to accept the flame from windsurfer [[Nikolaos Kaklamanakis]].<ref>[http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39952000/jpg/_39952778_athens203x270.jpg 2004 picture], BBC News</ref>
*In the [[2006 Winter Olympics]] in Turin, [[Stefania Belmondo]] placed the flame on an arched lighting apparatus, which initiated a series of fireworks before lighting the top of the {{convert|57|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} Olympic cauldron, the highest in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.<ref>{{YouTube|id=bIT21W1MfaU|title=Olympic Opening Ceremony Torino 2006 - Light of Passion}}</ref>
*In the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in Beijing, the [[2008 Summer Olympics cauldron|cauldron]] resembled the end of a scroll and it was also a giant version of the torch used in that year's relay. But the design was lifted out from the stadium rim and spiralled upwards. It was lit by [[Li Ning]], who was raised to the rim of the stadium by wires. He ran around the rim of the stadium while suspended and as he ran, an unrolling scroll was projected showing film clips of the flame's journey around the world from Greece to Beijing. As he approached the cauldron, he lit an enormous wick, which then transferred the flame to the cauldron. The flame then spiralled up the structure of the cauldron before lighting it at the top.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v==bufV3EgyPGUt=4h09m38s|title=Full Opening Ceremony from Beijing 2008 - Throwback Thursday|last=Olympic|date=8 August 2019|via=YouTube}}</ref>
*In the [[2010 Winter Olympics]] at [[Vancouver]], a team of athletes ([[Catriona Le May Doan]], [[Steve Nash]], [[Nancy Greene]] and [[Wayne Gretzky]]) were to simultaneously light the base of poles resembling ice crystals, which would then carry the flames upwards to the [[2010 Winter Olympics cauldron|cauldron]]. However, only three out of four poles came out of the ground due to mechanical problems, resulting in inadvertently excluding Le May Doan from lighting it with the other three athletes. Because the site of the ceremonies - [[BC Place Stadium|BC Place]] - was a domed stadium, Gretzky was sent hidden via the back of a pick-up truck to a secondary site&nbsp;— the [[Vancouver Convention Centre]] which served as the [[International Broadcast Centre]] for these Olympics&nbsp;— to light the outdoor cauldron of a similar design located indoor, but taller than the one placed in the stadium, as Olympic rules state that the flame must be in public view for the entirety of the Olympics. In the closing ceremonies, Le May Doan took part on the [[2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony|starting of closing ceremony in a joke about the mechanical glitch]], and she was able to light the fully raised fourth pole and have the indoor cauldron relit.
*At the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] in London, the flame was passed to a group of seven young British athletes (Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt, [[Desiree Henry]], Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds, and [[Adelle Tracey]]) who then each lit a single tiny flame on the ground, igniting 204 copper petals (one for each delegation in the Games) that rose up on narrow black pipes to form a single [[2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron|cauldron]]. The cauldron that traditionally flames continuously from the opening until the closing ceremony was temporarily extinguished (the flame itself was transferred to a lantern) prior to the athletics events while the cauldron was moved to the southern side of the [[Olympic Stadium (London)|stadium]]. It was relit by [[Austin Playfoot]], one of final torchbearers from the 1948 Summer Olympics.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/30/london-2012-olympic-cauldron-relit
 |title=Olympic cauldron relit after move to southern end of stadium
 |date=30 July 2012
 | location=London
 |work=The Guardian
 |first=Matthew
 |last=Taylor
}}</ref> In contrast to the cauldrons in Vancouver, the cauldron was not visible to the public outside the stadium. Instead, monitors had been placed throughout the Olympic Park showing the public live footage of the flame.
*For the [[2014 Winter Olympics]] in [[Sochi]], Russia, the [[2014 Winter Olympics cauldron|cauldron]] was situated directly outside [[Fisht Olympic Stadium]], the ceremonial venue for the Games. After the torch's lap around the stadium, triple gold medalists [[Irina Rodnina]] and [[Vladislav Tretiak]] carried the torch outside the stadium to light a larger version of the "celebration cauldron" used in the main torch relay at the center of the Olympic Park. A line of gas jets carried the flame from the celebration cauldron up the main cauldron tower, eventually lighting it at the top.
*For the [[2016 Summer Olympics]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil, [[2016 Summer Olympics cauldron|a scenic cauldron]] was lit inside the [[Maracanã Stadium]], the ceremonial venue for the Games, by [[Vanderlei de Lima]]. As part of these Games' appeal towards [[environmental protection]], organizers deliberately chose to use a basic design with a smaller flame than past cauldrons. To compensate for the smaller cauldron, this was accompanied by a larger [[kinetic sculpture]] designed by [[Anthony Howe (sculptor)|Anthony Howe]]. In deliberate contrast to how the public could not have direct contact with the symbol four years earlier, the Organizing Committee decided to build the replica scenic cauldron, and site the official cauldron in the [[Candelária Church|Candelária Church Plaza]]; it would be lit following the opening ceremony's ending.<ref name="dezeen-cauldron">{{cite web|title=Diminutive Rio 2016 cauldron complemented by massive kinetic sculpture|url=http://www.dezeen.com/2016/08/08/rio-2016-cauldron-massive-kinetic-sculpture-anthony-howe/|website=Dezeen|date=8 August 2016 |access-date=11 August 2016}}</ref><ref name=rio2>
{{cite news |
title=Sun sculpture and cauldron light up Olympic ceremony... |
url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2016/08/06/sun-sculpture-and-cauldron-light-up-olympic-ceremony-finale-with/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2016/08/06/sun-sculpture-and-cauldron-light-up-olympic-ceremony-finale-with/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |
newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |
date=6 August 2016
}}{{cbignore}}
</ref><ref name="cbcnews-outdoorcauldron">{{cite web|title=Formerly homeless boy who lit Olympic cauldron now has 'beautiful life'|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/rio-olympics-boy-who-lit-cauldron-1.3716398|website=CBC News|access-date=22 August 2016}}</ref>
*For the [[2018 Winter Olympics]] in [[Pyeongchang]], South Korea, the flame was eventually handed to [[Yuna Kim]], who was at the top of a set of steps. She then lit a wick of sorts, which lit a large metal flaming pillar with thirty parts, representing the 30 years since [[1988 Summer Olympics|Seoul 1988]] as a time tunnel between the two Olympic Games held in the Republic of Korea. The pillar rose to the top of the cauldron, lighting it. The cauldron was a large sphere on the top, nested inside a white sculpture. The cauldron's design was inspired by [[Joseon white porcelain]].
*For the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] in [[Tokyo]], Japan, the flame was handed to [[Naomi Osaka]], who stood in front of a large mountain-like structure resembling [[Mount Fuji]]. At the top of the mountain was a large closed ball, resembling the sun. This ball unfolded, revealing many petals of a flower representing hope, energy and vitality, forming the [[2020 Summer Olympics cauldron|cauldron]]. Osaka then walked up a set of steps revealed as the ball unfolded and lit the cauldron. As with the Vancouver and Rio games, two cauldrons were made. One scenographic was located inside the Olympic stadium and the official outside, which was located on the [[Ariake West Canal]] bridge.
*The Organizing Committee of the [[2022 Winter Olympics]] held in Beijing, chose to eschew the Olympic cauldron entirely, and used a small structure: the final two torchbearers — the skiers Zhao Jiawen and [[Dinigeer Yilamujiang]] — fitted the last torch into a pedestal at the centre of a large sculpture of a snowflake, constructed from placards with the names of each competing [[National Olympic Committee]]. Another two cauldrons were lit after, at the games' other two clusters, and the official cauldron was within the [[Olympic Green]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2022-02-04|title=Uyghur athlete lights Olympic Cauldron as Beijing 2022 officially opens|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1118798/beijing-2022-opening-ceremony|access-date=2022-02-04|website=Inside the Games}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Chappell|first=Bill|date=2022-02-04|title=The Beijing Winter Olympics' cauldron lighting made a political statement|language=en|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/02/04/1078234213/beijing-olympics-flame-torch-uyghur|access-date=2022-02-04}}</ref>
*For the [[2024 Summer Olympics]] in Paris, the [[2024 Summer Olympics cauldron|cauldron]] appeared to lift a [[hot air balloon]], an echo of France's [[Montgolfier brothers|historical contributions to balloon flight]], tethered to the Grand Bassin Rond fountain in the [[Tuileries Garden]]. To symbolize a commitment to sustainability, instead of combusting a fuel, the cauldron was fully illuminated by electricity, using 40 computer-controlled [[light-emitting diode]]s illuminating a ring of water-filled [[aerosol spray dispenser]]s, in partnership with [[Électricité de France]]. The actual flame is kept burning in a lantern that is displayed adjacent to the cauldron in the gardens.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Keh |first1=Andrew |title=The Olympic Flame Isn't a Flame at All |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/29/world/olympics/flame-cauldron-balloon.html |work=The New York Times |date=29 July 2024 |access-date=31 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=de Sortiraparis |first1=Rhizlaine |title=Paris 2024 Olympics: where has the REAL Olympic flame gone? |url=https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/news/olympic-games-paris-2024/articles/317911-paris-2024-olympics-where-has-the-real-olympic-flame-gone |website=Sortiraparis |access-date=31 July 2024}}</ref> While the balloon is a [[helium]] sphere, it is not a hot-air design.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2024-07-26|title=The Cauldron of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 takes to the skies to shine over the capital|url=https://press.paris2024.org/news/the-cauldron-of-the-olympic-games-paris-2024-takes-to-the-skies-to-shine-over-the-capital-3dfe1-7578a.html}}</ref>

: {{main|2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron}}

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File:Olympiastadion Berlin Innenansicht.jpg|Traditional Olympic cauldrons often employ a simple bowl-on-pedestal design, such as the cauldron used for the [[1936 Summer Olympics]].
File:The XIV Olympic Games opens in London, 1948.jpg|Olympic cauldron at London 1948.
File:Olympiatuli 1952.jpg|Olympic cauldron at Helsinki 1952.
File:Norma Enriqueta Basilio Sotelo (1968).jpg|Olympic cauldron at Mexico 1968.
File:Stephane Prefontaine, Sandra Henderson 1976b.jpg|Olympic cauldron at Montreal 1976.
File:RIAN archive 104486 22nd Olympics opening gala.jpg|Olympic cauldron at Moscow 1980.
File:Seoul Olympic torch.jpg|[[Kim Won-tak]] (athlete), [[Chong Son-man]] (teacher) und [[Son Mi-jong]] (dance student) during the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at [[1988 Summer Olympics]]
File:Barcelona AUGUST 1992 the Olympic Games (Juegos Olímpicos de Barcelona 1992) - panoramio.jpg|Olympic cauldron at 1992 Summer Olympics.
File:Atlanta cauldron during 1996 Paralympics.jpg|Olympic and Paralympic cauldron at Atlanta 1996 Games
File:Olympic Flame 2000 (Summer Olympics).JPEG|Olympic flame lit at the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in [[Sydney|Sydney, Australia]].
File:2002 Winter Olympics flame.jpg|Olympic flame lit at the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] in [[Salt Lake City|Salt Lake City, Utah]].
File:Olympic flame at opening ceremony 2004 (cropped).jpg|2004 Summer Olympics cauldron during the opening ceremony at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] in [[Athens]], [[Greece]].
File:Braciere Olimpico.jpg|Olympic cauldron at Turin 2006.
File:Beijing 2008 Olympic cauldron lighting (cropped).JPG|Olympic Cauldron at Beijing 2008 during the opening ceremony.
File:Vancouver 2010 Public Caldron.jpg|Public Cauldron of Vancouver 2010.
File:Olympic Cauldron after being lit at the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.jpg|More artistic and [[Abstract art|abstract]] designs for cauldrons, including the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] cauldron, have also been used.
File:Opening of XXII Winter Olympic Games (2338-13).jpg|Cauldrons can also take on monolithic forms, an example of which being the "cauldron tower" used for Sochi 2014.
File:2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony 1035326-olimpiadas abertura-4006.jpg|The Rio 2016 Games had an innovative cauldron, which featured a kinetic sculpture with a small flame.
File:Candelária cauldron at 2016 Summer Olympics.jpg|2016 public cauldron in downtown [[Rio de Janeiro]].
File:2018 Winter Olympics Cauldron (1).jpeg|[[2018 Winter Olympics]] Cauldron in [[Pyeongchang County|Pyeongchang]], [[South Korea]].
File:Tokyo 2020 Olympics Cauldron - 51498730288.jpg|[[2020 Summer Olympics]] Cauldron in [[Tokyo]].
File:2022 Winter Olympics cauldron at Yanqing Winter Olympic Cultural Square (20220219134049).jpg|One of the three public flames of Beijing 2022.
File:Vasque Olympique Jardin Tuileries - Paris I (FR75) - 2024-07-27 - 25.jpg|[[2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron|2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics]] Cauldron in [[Paris]].
</gallery>