Fire has always played an important and symbolic role in our history because of its divine origins and the sacred element associated with it. For these reasons, the Greeks maintained consistent fires in front of their principle temples in ancient Greece. This was also the case in the sanctuary of Olympia, where the Ancient Olympic Games took place. The flame was lit using an ancient method where the rays of the sun are reflected in a skaphia, the ancestor of the parabolic mirror used today for lighting the Olympic flame.

The modern Olympic flame is ignited in Olympia at the site where the temple of Hera used to stand, by an actress playing the part of the High Priestess using the same ancient method. It serves as a reminder of how fires were lit on the altars of Greek gods and goddesses to honour them. The purity of the flame is preserved by the method of lighting using the sun's rays.

The Olympic flame's modern history began with the 1936 Games of the Olympiad in Berlin. Inspired by the lampadedromia torch races held in ancient Greece in Athens, Carl Diem (Secretary General of the Organising Committee of the Games of the XI Olympiad) suggested that a flame be lit in Olympia and that it be transported to Berlin in what would be the first ever Olympic torch relay. Over 3,000 torchbearers participated in the 1936 relay which saw the flame travel approximately 3,000 kilometres across 7 countries. Since then, an Olympic torch relay, where the Olympic flame is carried in specially designed torches unique to each edition of the Olympic Games, has become an instantly recognisable and powerful symbol of the Olympic Movement.