2004 Summer Olympics torch relay



The 2004 Summer Olympics Torch Relay took the Olympic Flame across every habitable continent, returning to Athens, Greece. Every city which had hosted, will host, or coincidentally elected to host the Summer Olympics until the 2028 Summer Olympics was visited or revisited by the torch, as well as several other cities chosen for their international importance. The main reason why the torch relay went around the world was to highlight the fact that the Olympic Games were started in Greece (in ancient times) and in modern times have been held around the world and then took place in Greece in 2004.

The relay was the first time the Olympic flame had travelled to Africa and South America. The flame was transported from country to country aboard a specially-equipped Boeing 747 leased from Atlanta Icelandic (Registration TF-ARO) called Zeus. On board the flame was carried and burned continuously in specially modified miners lamps.

Route in Greece (first phase)
25 March: 26 March: 27 March: 28 March: 29 March: 30 March: 31 March:
 * Olympia, Elis, Pyrgos, Andritsaina
 * Megalopolis, Dorio, Kopanaki, Kyparissia, Filiatra, Gargalianoi, Pylos
 * Methoni, Koroni, Petalidi, Messini, Valira, Meligalas, Kalamata
 * Mystras, Gytheio
 * Sparta, Tegea, Tripoli
 * Nemea, Mycenae, Argos, Nafplio, Epidaurus
 * Kranidi, Spetses, Hydra, Poros, Aegina, Salamina, Panathenaic Stadium

International Route
The International Leg of the 2004 Olympic Torch Relay officially began on 4 June 2004, when the flame touched down in Sydney, Australia, previous host city of the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Route in Europe (excluding Greece)
The International Leg of the 2004 Olympic Torch Relay concluded on July 8, 2004, just over a month after it began its global journey and just over a month before the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony on 13 August 2004.

Route in Greece (second phase)
9 July (day 1) 10 July (day 2) 11 July (day 3) 12 July (day 4) 13 July (day 5) 14 July (day 6) 15 July (day 7) 16 July (day 8) 17 July (day 9) 18 July (day 10) 19 July (day 11) 20 July (day 12) 21 July (day 13) 22 July (day 14) 23 July (day 15) 24 July (day 16) 25 July (day 17) 26 July (day 18) 27 July (day 19) 28 July (day 20) 29 July (day 21) 30 July (day 22) 31 July (day 23) 1 August (day 24) 2 August (day 25) 3 August (day 26) 4 August (day 27) 5 August (day 28): 6 August (day 29): 7 August (day 30): 8 August (day 31): 9 August (day 32): 10 August (day 33): 11 August (day 34): 12–13 August (days 35 & 36):
 * Heraklion
 * Knossos, Malia, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia
 * Ierapetra, Pyrgos, Agia Galini
 * Spili, Rethymno, Chania
 * Karpathos, Kalymnos, Kos, Kastellorizo, Rhodes
 * Santorini, Sifnos, Paros, Naxos, Mykonos, Syros
 * Tinos, Andros, Samos, Chios, Oinousses, Mytilene
 * Lemnos, Thasos, Samothrace
 * Orestiada, Didymoteicho, Soufli, Feres, Alexandroupoli
 * Sapes, Komotini, Lake Vistonida, Abdera, Xanthi
 * Chrysoupoli, Kavala, Philippi
 * Drama, Alistrati, Nea Zichni, Serres
 * Sidirokastro, Vyroneia, Doirani, Kato Poroia, Kilkis
 * Langadas, Polygyros
 * Moudania, Triglia, Epanomi, Michaniona, Thermi, Thessaloniki
 * Pella, Giannitsa, Alexandreia, Litochoro, Dion
 * Katerini, Kolindros, Aiginio, Meliki, Vergina
 * Veria, Naousa, Skydra, Edessa, Florina
 * Psarades, Amyntaio, Ptolemaida, Kozani
 * Grevena, Siatista, Kastoria
 * Eptachori, Konitsa, Kalpaki, Dodoni, Ioannina
 * Mikro Peristeri, Metsovo, Kalabaka
 * Trikala, Karditsa, Larissa, Nea Ionia, Volos
 * Stylida, Lamia, Karpenisi, Skopelos, Skiathos
 * Kymi, Aliveri, Amarynthos, Chalcis
 * Aliartos, Livadia, Arachova, Delphi
 * Amfissa, Itea, Galaxidi, Nafpaktos, Zakynthos
 * Argostoli, Ithaca, Astakos, Lefkada, Corfu
 * Igoumenitsa, Syvota, Parga, Preveza
 * Arta, Menidi, Amfilochia, Agrinio
 * Missolonghi, Rio–Antirrio bridge, Patras
 * Aigio, Akrata, Xylokastro, Kiato, Corinth
 * Thebes, Marathon
 * Piraeus
 * Athens

After visiting Cyprus, the Greek Leg of the Torch Relay resumed on 9 July 2004, with the flame touching down in Crete in the city of Heraklion. During the Greek Leg of the relay, the torch also made a cursory stopover in Albania when the torch was carried through a lake on the Greek-Albanian border.

Aftermath
The International Olympic Committee has indicated that, due to the success of the 2004 run, they might sanction a global circumnavigation of the flame before every succeeding Olympics. However, those plans were abandoned in March 2009 due to the protests in the international leg of the torch relay of the 2008 Summer Olympics (with an exception made for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games).