Atlanta 1996

Olympic Games Atlanta 1996 Official Torch

Twenty-two aluminum reeds wrapped with wood handle in center. Gold-plated band near base engraved with 20 Summer Games host cities up to an including Atlanta. Grip at the center is made of Georgian pecan wood with gold rings at each end. Two wide gold bands are placed near the torch, and one near the handle. At the torch end, the Atlanta 1996 Centennial emblem with the Quilt of Leaves motif. 29.9 inches high.

Designer: Peter Mastrogiannis and Malcolm Grear Designers
Manufacturer: Georgia Institute of Technology

Fuel: Propylene. Combustion duration 20 minutes.

The Atlanta torch is inspired by Ancient Greece through the reed style torch and classically Greek architectural lines. The 22 aluminium "reeds" represent the number of previous modern Olympic Games.

The relay on American soil began at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum site of the Los Angeles Games in 1932 and 1984.

Start date: March 30, 1996, Olympia, Greece
End date: July 19, 1996, Olympic Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
First Torchbearer: Konstantinos Koukodimos
Last Torchbeaer: Muhammad Ali
Number of Torchbearers: 13,267
Relay length: 18029.7 miles