Flame races were run in ancient Athens to honour deities including Prometheus, who, legend has it, stole fire from the gods and brought wisdom and knowledge to humankind.
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A fire was kept burning at ancient Olympics to honour the sun god Zeus; but such races were not organised for the Panhellenic Games (four separate sports festivals of which the four-yearly Olympics were one).
Fire first reappeared at the modern Olympics in Amsterdam in 1928, when a flame was built into an Olympic stadium tower. It was seen as a symbolic link between old and new games.
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