Thu, October 20, 2011
On adapting the original emblem as a Candidate City to the emblem of the Host City, the principal goal was to integrate elements that symbolize the celebration of sport in the American continent and its commitment to the ideals of the Olympic spirit.
The image was designed to identify with the Guadalajara XVI Pan American Games by representing America and Olympic sport with the use of its official symbols: The Torch.
The Olympic Torch is the most venerated symbol of the Olympic Games. The idea was adopted for the Ancient Olympic Games where during the competitions the sacred flame remained lit at the altar of Zeus.
Theodore Lewald, member of the Olympic Committee, suggested the including it in the Games. The Torch was reintroduced into the Olympic Games at Amsterdam 1928 and alighted again in 1932.
Carl Diem, President of the Organizing Committee for the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games proposed that the Flame be lit in Greece and transported to Berlin via a torch relay to symbolize the union between the ancient and modern games. The idea was adopted in 1952 and continues until this day.
The Flame is lit in the ancient sight of Olympia by natural sun rays reflected in a curved mirror. A woman dressed in typical clothes from antiquity lights the torch and passes it on to the first of the bearers.
(Source: www.guadalajara2011.org.mx )
