The Olympic Flame

The Olympic Flame symbolically was lit for the first time in Amsterdam at the entrance of the Olympic Stadium, and it was lit up at the Coliseum Stadium during the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. However, it was not an authentic Olympic Flame as we know it today. The Olympic flame is being lit in Ancient Olympia, Greece.

It was only in 1936 for the Olympic Games in Berlin that the “The Games with Fire” rule was put to place and continues to date. The idea of Carl Diem, professor form Berlin, about lighting the Olympic Flame with the help of sun rays in Olympia, where the Ancient Olympic Games were held and carrying the Torch to Berlin was introduced to the IOC by Theodor Lewald, the President of the Olympic Committee of Germany and it was accepted unanimously. It clams that it was approved by Joseph Goebbels, the Ministry of Propaganda of Germany.

The torch was being carried through seven countries (it was being carried by the runners and rowers): Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, and Germany. Its path was 3422 kilometers long (the same number of the torch carriers), and the last torch carrier was Fritz Schilgen.

The Olympic Flame has passed through Yugoslavia three times: for the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, for the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972, and for the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo in 1984.

The most dramatic walk through was the first one, because of the Resolution to boycott the Olympic Games in Berlin, that was signed by 100 prominent athletes and public figures.

„Yugoslav athletes, we are aware of the role of the Olympic Games in Germany and its organization. We are aware of military related propaganda of the sport that will be represented in the Olympic Games in Berlin. So we invite all athletes from all parts of Yugoslavia, which do not care only about sports glory, but also share a common understanding of the true ideals of sport, to refuse to participate in the Olympic Games in Berlin, along with all sports forums, organizations and clubs…” it was written in the Resolution signed by hundreds of the athletes, sport workers and citizens, among which football players were the most dominant. The Resolution was written by Vladimir Dedijer, and approved by Ivo Lola Ribar and it was signed by Aleksandar Tirnanic, Jovan Mikic, Milorad Arsenijevic eng, Milutin Ivkovic, Djordje Lojancic, Dragos Stevanovic, Gustav Lehner, Djordje Vujadinovic, Nikola Boskovic, Vojin Bozovic, Angelina Gajic, Izolda Brezovsek and many others…

The Resolution with above mentioned signatures was published as an public proclamation in the daily newspapers Politika, on 5^th April, 1936, after journalists and editors have avoided censorship. As a result, numerous demonstrations tool place along the route of the Olympic Flame. The most dramatic escalation took place in Banja Luka, where police had to look over the Olympic Torch.

However, The Yugoslav Council of Sports Association announced on April 10^th, that Yugoslavia will take part in the Olympic Games in Berlin and so it was, but not everyone went to the capital of Germany. Most of the football players from national team refused to go to Berlin, thus the Yugoslav Football Association withdrawn its participation at the Olympic Games.