A famous relay
One of the great traditions of the Summer Olympics is the lighting of the flame to officially signify the beginning of the action. While the torch relay has shaky origins after its introduction for the infamous 1936 games in Berlin, it still plays a key role in the event every four years.
The torch reached France on May 8 and will get to its destination on Friday
The journey starts in Athens, the ancient home of the Olympics, and people travel from country to country with the flame until they eventually reach the host city of that given year’s competition. The road to Paris began in April. The torch reached France on May 8 and will get to its destination on Friday when the opening ceremony takes place.
While many iconic athletes like Muhammad Ali, Usain Bolt, and Zinedine Zidane have carried the torch over the years, many non-athletes have also had the opportunity to do so.
One of the standouts in this regard for this summer’s Olympics is rapper Snoop Dogg who will be carrying the torch on Friday in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, posting an image to X in anticipation of the big day:
After seeing that the 52-year-old was on this year’s list, VegasSlotsOnline News decided to look at five other times when someone interesting had the honor.
Nelson Mandela
One of the most iconic human rights activists of the past 100 years, Nelson Mandela, carried the torch during the relay ahead of the 2004 games in Athens. He iconically held the flame on Robben Island where he was imprisoned for 18 years for opposing apartheid in South Africa.
struggled to lift the torch due to his declining health
While he struggled to lift the torch due to his declining health as an 86-year-old man, he spoke about the honor of holding it at a place that played such a big role in his life. Mandela passed away in 2013 at 95 years of age.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Not many people have lived as many interesting chapters in their lives as Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Austrian first made a name for himself as the seven-time winner of the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition. He then became a movie star before marrying into the Kennedy family and becoming the Governor of California.
Schwarzenegger had the distinction of carrying the torch in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London:
Will.i.am
Well-known lead singer of the Black Eyed Peas Will.i.am ran through Taunton in England ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London.
received some backlash for tweeting during his run
He received some backlash for tweeting during his run and repeatedly calling Taunton by the wrong name while talking about the event on social media.
Gisele Bündchen
Supermodel Gisele Bündchen has a reputation as one of the highest-paid people in her industry and is perhaps better known for her 13-year marriage to NFL superstar Tom Brady. While the pair are no longer together, she still captures plenty of headlines.
When the Olympics took place in her home country of Brazil in 2016, Bündchen had the honor of carrying the torch in Rio de Janeiro before doing a catwalk at the opening ceremony:
Ryan Seacrest
Originally coming to fame as the host of American Idol, the now 49-year-old Ryan Seacrest has played a key role in the US reality television scene for more than two decades.
chance to run through Los Angeles with the torch
He got the chance to run through Los Angeles with the torch ahead of the 2004 games in Athens. Looking back in July 2021 at the memory ahead of the Tokyo games, Seacrest said it was “one time I was excited to run.”