The tradition of carrying the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games, to the host city of the modern Olympic Games via a torch relay was first introduced in 1936, ahead of the 1936 Summer Olympics. Since then, famous athletes (active or retired) with significant sporting achievements while representing the host country, promising young athletes, or other individuals with symbolic significance have been selected as the last runners in the Olympic torch relay and consequently have the honour of lighting the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony.

History The first well-known major athlete to light the cauldron was nine-time Olympic champion Paavo Nurmi at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Other famous final torch bearers include 1960 decathlon gold medallist Rafer Johnson, who became the first person of African descent to light the cauldron at the 1984 Summer Olympics, French football star Michel Platini (1992), heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (1996), Australian sprinter Cathy Freeman (2000), the Canadian ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky (2010), the Brazilian marathon runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima (2016) and the South Korean figure skating champion Yuna Kim (2018). Most recently, Italian alpine skiers Deborah Compagnoni, Sofia Goggia, and Alberto Tomba, all winners of gold medals, lit the Olympic Cauldron at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

On other occasions, the people who lit the cauldron were not famous but nevertheless symbolized the Olympic ideals. Japanese runner Yoshinori Sakai was born in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, the day the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb. He symbolized the rebirth of Japan after the Second World War when he lit the Olympic cauldron of the 1964 Summer Olympics. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, two teenagers—representing the French- and the English-speaking parts of the country—symbolized the unity of Canada. Norway's Crown Prince Haakon lit the cauldron of the 1994 Winter Olympics, in honour of his father and grandfather, both Olympians. For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, seven aspiring young athletes—each nominated by a former British Olympic champion—had the honour of lighting the cauldron.

People who have lit the Olympic cauldron Games Location Lighter Sport Note Ref. Berlin Fritz Schilgen Athletics Schilgen was not a competitor at the Olympics, but was chosen for his graceful running style. 1948 Summer London John Mark Athletics Little-known former medical student from Cambridge University. 1952 Winter Oslo Eigil Nansen Non-athlete Grandson of polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen. He is the first non-athlete to light the flame. 1952 Summer Helsinki Paavo Nurmi Athletics Nurmi was a winner of nine Olympic gold medals in the 1920s; Kolehmainen won four Olympic gold medals. Nurmi lit a cauldron on field level before handing the torch to four football players who relayed the torch to the top of the tower. Kolehmainen then lit the final, higher-placed cauldron. Hannes Kolehmainen 1956 Winter Cortina d'Ampezzo Guido Caroli Speed skating Participant in the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Winter Olympics. Skating with the torch, he tripped over a television cable but kept the flame burning. 1956 Summer Melbourne Ron Clarke (Melbourne) Track and field Wikne later participated in the 1964 Summer Olympics. After Wikne lit the brazier on the infield, the flame was passed on to Karin Lindberg and Henry Ericksson, who separately ran up the two towers of the Stockholm Olympic Stadium. Hans Wikne (Stockholm) Equestrianism 1960 Winter Squaw Valley Ken Henry Speed skating Olympic champion in Men's 500 metres 1960 Summer Rome Giancarlo Peris Athletics Track athlete of Greek descent. The Italian National Olympic Committee decided that the last torchbearer of the Olympics would be the winner of a junior cross country running race. 1964 Winter Innsbruck Josef Rieder Alpine skiing Former Olympic athlete, competed in the 1956 Winter Olympics 1964 Summer Tokyo Yoshinori Sakai Athletics Sakai was born on the same day the atom bomb exploded over his native Hiroshima. He did not participate in the Olympics. 1968 Winter Grenoble Alain Calmat Figure skating Silver medalist at the 1964 Winter Olympics 1968 Summer Mexico City Enriqueta Basilio Athletics Sprinter who participated in these Olympics; the first woman to light the Olympic cauldron. 1972 Winter Sapporo Hideki Takada Non-athlete A sixteen year old Japanese student. 1972 Summer Munich Günther Zahn Athletics Middle-distance runner. Winner of the West German junior athletics championships. 1976 Winter Innsbruck Christl Haas Alpine skiing Haas won gold on downhill in 1964 Winter Olympics; Feistmantl won luge doubles in the same Games. Josef Feistmantl Luge 1976 Summer Montreal Sandra Henderson Gymnastics Two teenagers representing English and French Canadians. Neither of them participated in any Olympics. Stéphane Préfontaine Athletics 1980 Winter Lake Placid Charles Morgan Kerr Non-athlete A psychiatrist from Arizona who had been elected from all 52 torch relay bearers to run the final leg. 1980 Summer Moscow Sergei Belov Basketball Member of the Soviet basketball team, Olympic Champion at the 1972 Summer Olympics. 1984 Winter Sarajevo Sanda Dubravčić Figure skating Best placed Winter Olympic athlete from the former Yugoslavia until that date. She finished 10th in the ladies figure skating event at the 1980 Winter Olympics. 1984 Summer Los Angeles Rafer Johnson Athletics Olympic Champion at the Men's decathlon at 1960 Summer Olympics; the first person of African descent to light the Olympic cauldron. 1988 Winter Calgary Robyn Perry Figure skating A 12-year-old schoolgirl and aspiring figure skater. Perry's choice symbolized the future of the Olympic movement, since in 1986, the International Olympic Committee had decided to implement new policies, including the change in the cycle between the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. 1988 Summer Seoul Chung Sun-man Non-athlete Chung Sun-man was a schoolteacher. Sohn was a young Korean dancer. Kim Won-tak was a young track athlete who took part in that Games' marathon. Sohn Mi-chung Kim Won-tak Athletics 1992 Winter Albertville Michel Platini Association football Platini took part with the French football team in the 1976 Summer Olympics. Grange was a future alpine skier (and older brother of future multiple-time alpine skiing Slalom world champion Jean-Baptiste Grange). Aged nine at the time, Grange became the youngest final lighter in history. François-Cyrille Grange Alpine skiing 1992 Summer Barcelona Antonio Rebollo Archery Paralympian who competed in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Summer Paralympics, winning two silvers and a bronze. The only Paralympian ever to light the Olympic cauldron, Rebollo shot a flaming arrow over an open natural gas cauldron to ignite it. 1994 Winter Lillehammer Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway Non-athlete then-Heir apparent to the throne of Norway. Though he was not an Olympian, both his father and grandfather took part in the Olympics and he lit the cauldron on their behalf. He was also the patron of the Games and his involvement was crucial to their realization. Also, his father declared the games opened. 1996 Summer Atlanta Muhammad Ali Boxing 1960 Summer Olympics light heavyweight boxing gold medalist; the first Muslim to light the Olympic cauldron. 1998 Winter Nagano Midori Ito Figure skating Silver medalist at the 1992 Winter Olympics 2000 Summer Sydney Cathy Freeman Track and field Silver medalist in 1996 and would later win at these games, both in the 400 metres. She is one of two people to light the cauldron and win a gold medal in the same games, alongside Teddy Riner. Cathy was also chosen as part of the celebration of 100 years of women being included in the Olympics, she was passed the Olympic flame in the final lighting of the flame by 5 other Australian women who are significant in Australian Olympic history. She is also the first person of indigenous descent to light the cauldron. 2002 Winter Salt Lake City The 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team Ice hockey The "Miracle on Ice" hockey team who upset the Soviet hockey team en route to the gold medal. 2004 Summer Athens Nikolaos Kaklamanakis Sailing Winner of Olympic gold in 1996 and would win a silver in these Olympics. 2006 Winter Turin Stefania Belmondo Cross-country skiing Winner of ten Olympic medals between 1992 and 2002, two of them gold. One of Italy's most decorated Olympians. 2008 Summer Beijing Li Ning Artistic gymnastics Li won 6 medals (3 gold,2 silvers and 1 bronze) at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He was China's most successful athlete at their first Olympic appearance since 1952. 2010 Winter Vancouver Steve Nash (indoor cauldron) Basketball Le May Doan was a winner of two gold medals in the 500 m in 1998 and 2002 and a bronze in the 1000 m in 1998. Nash is a two-time NBA MVP with the Phoenix Suns and a former member of the Canadian Olympic Basketball team, playing in 2000 Summer Olympics. Greene won gold in the giant slalom and silver in the slalom in 1968 Winter Olympics. Gretzky was a member of the Canadian ice hockey team and won four Stanley Cup titles as captain of the Edmonton Oilers (, , , ). He was the executive director of the Canadian men's hockey team in 2002, who won gold at that Games.

During the opening ceremony, Nash and Greene lit a cauldron inside the BC Place indoor stadium. Gretzky then lit a second, outdoor cauldron near the Vancouver Convention Centre. Only the outdoor cauldron remained lit throughout the Games.

Le May Doan was supposed to participate in the lighting of the indoor cauldron, but was left out when one of the four arms failed to raise due to mechanical problems. This was corrected at the beginning of the closing ceremony, when a joke was made about the mechanical error, and she was able to light the newly emerged fourth arm and relight the indoor cauldron to begin the closing ceremony. Nancy Greene Raine (indoor cauldron) Alpine skiing Wayne Gretzky (outdoor cauldron) Ice hockey Catriona Le May Doan (closing ceremony) Speed skating 2012 Summer London Desirèe Henry Track and fieldThe cauldron was lit by seven teenagers, each nominated by a veteran British Olympian: Airlie (Shirley Robertson) Duckitt (Duncan Goodhew) Henry (Daley Thompson) Kirk (Dame Mary Peters) MacRitchie (Sir Steve Redgrave) Reynolds (Lynn Davies) Tracey (Dame Kelly Holmes) Austin Playfoot later relit the cauldron in its new spot in the Olympic Stadium. Duckitt was the only non-athlete among them.