Munich 1972The Torch

Route Design and Details

Once lit in Olympia, the flame visited Athens then crossed the country via Delphi, Larisa, Thessaloniki and Kavala. En route to Munich, the relay notably passed through Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Federal Republic of Germany and Innsbruck, Austria, cities which had hosted the Olympic Winter Games in the past.

Upon its arrival in Munich, the flame was welcomed at a reception held on the Königsplatz, attended by 20,000 spectators. The flame was taken to the Maximilianeum, headquarters of the Bavarian parliament, where it was kept in a brazier until the day of the Opening Ceremony.

At the Opening Ceremony, the last torchbearer, European Günther Zahn, was accompanied by runners from the other four continents: Kipchoge Keino (Africa), Jim Ryun (America), Kenji Kimihara (Asia) and Derek Clayton (Oceania).

A flame was lit from the principal one to be taken on a relay from Munich to Kiel, where the sailing events were held. This two-day relay covered 933km and saw the participation of 1,280 torchbearers on foot, 90 cyclists and 34 horse riders.

On 27 August, the day after the Opening Ceremony, a flame was also lit and taken on a 104km relay from Munich to Augsburg, where the canoe events were being held.

Map of the Route

Facts and Figures

Start date: 28 July 1972, Olympia (Greece)

End date: 26 August 1972, Olympic Stadium, Munich (Federal Republic of Germany)

First torchbearer: Yiannis Kirkilessis. He was also the first torchbearer in Greece for the relay of the 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo.

Last torchbearer: Günther Zahn

Number of torchbearers: ~6,200 (Munich-Kiel and Munich-Augsburg relays excluded), of which ~1,300 were in Greece.

Recruitment of torchbearers: In Germany, this task was entrusted to local sport organisations in Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. In the other countries crossed by the relay, the respective National Olympic Committees were in charge of selecting the torchbearers. 

Distance: 5,532km (Munich-Kiel and Munich-Augsburg relays excluded): 1,819km in Greece, 507km in Turkey, 726km in Bulgaria, 763km in Romania, 340km in Yugoslavia, 379km in Hungary, 541km in Austria, 457km in Federal Republic of Germany

Countries visited: Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria and Federal Republic of Germany

Torch Details

Description: The torch bears the inscription “Spiele der XX Olympiad München 1972” and the Olympic rings on its handle. On a platform at the base of the combustion tube is the emblem of the Games.

Colour: Silver

Height: 72cm

Composition: Metal, steel

Fuel: Liquid gas composed of 24 per cent propane and 76 per cent butane, contained in an aluminium cartridge. The combustion duration is 15 to 22 minutes.

Designer / Manufacturer: Friedrich Krupp AG / Olympiagas, Hagri

Did You Know?

The Krupp company also produced the torch for the Berlin 1936 Games.

Two pilot lights were produced. They are fed by propane gas and can burn uninterrupted for at least six weeks.

So that the flame could travel the distance from Munich to Kiel in exactly 49 hours, all of the torchbearers were requested, whether they were on foot, on a bike, on horseback, motorcycle or in a rowing boat, to go at their maximum speed and to continue the relay both day and night.

The cauldron for this edition of the Games was formed by a burner made up of two concentric rings of fire, each with 21 gas jets. Two metres in diameter, the burner was set on a four-metre-high column made of pipe. Two years of development were necessary for the realisation of the cauldron.