Torches from past Olympics on display in ancient Olympia

Stratos Klimou, 65, has been collecting them for 40 years. His earliest torch dates back to the 1936 Berlin Games, Klimou said, but his favourites are the torches of the 1948 London Games and the 1956 Melbourne Games. The exhibition will travel to Paris from end July until the end of the 2024 Games on August 11.

In the town hall of ancient Olympia, where the flame for the Paris 2024 Games was lit in a traditional ceremony on Tuesday, visitors got a chance to admire 41 torches of past winter, summer and Paralympic Games. Stratos Klimou, 65, has been collecting them for 40 years.

His earliest torch dates back to the 1936 Berlin Games, Klimou said, but his favourites are the torches of the 1948 London Games and the 1956 Melbourne Games. Klimou, a civil servant, built his collection from antique shops and flea markets, as well as from online purchases.

Panos Sarafopoulos, one of the many visitors, praised the display. "This is a great exhibition. I haven't seen something like this before," he said. The exhibition will travel to Paris from end July until the end of the 2024 Games on August 11.

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