The 2004 Summer Olympics Torch Relay took the Olympic Flame across every habitable continent, returning to Athens, Greece. Every city which had hosted, will host, or coincidentally elected to host the Summer Olympics until the 2028 Summer Olympics was visited or revisited by the torch, as well as several other cities chosen for their international importance. The main reason why the torch relay went around the world was to highlight the fact that the Olympic Games were started in Greece (in ancient times) and in modern times have been held around the world and then took place in Greece in 2004.

Quick Facts Host city, Countries visited ...

Host city	Athens, Greece
Countries visited	Greece, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Egypt, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Albania
Start date	25 March 2004 (2004-03-25)
End date	13 August 2004 (2004-08-13)

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The relay was the first time the Olympic flame had travelled to Africa and South America. The flame was transported from country to country aboard a specially-equipped Boeing 747 leased from Atlanta Icelandic (Registration TF-ARO) called Zeus. On board the flame was carried and burned continuously in specially modified miners lamps.

Megalopolis

Tripoli

Tegea

25 March:

• Olympia, Elis, Pyrgos, Andritsaina

26 March:

• Megalopolis, Dorio, Kopanaki, Kyparissia, Filiatra, Gargalianoi, Pylos

27 March:

• Methoni, Koroni, Petalidi, Messini, Valira, Meligalas, Kalamata

28 March:

• Mystras, Gytheio

29 March:

• Sparta, Tegea, Tripoli

30 March:

• Nemea, Mycenae, Argos, Nafplio, Epidaurus

31 March:

• Kranidi, Spetses, Hydra, Poros, Aegina, Salamina, Panathenaic Stadium

The International Leg of the 2004 Olympic Torch Relay officially began on 4 June 2004, when the flame touched down in Sydney, Australia, previous host city of the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Route in Oceania

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Date	Map
4 June: Sydney, Australia (host city of the 2000 Summer Olympics) 5 June: Melbourne (host city of the 1956 Summer Olympics)	Sydney Melbourne

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Route in Asia

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Date	Map
6 June: Tokyo, Japan (host city of the 1964 Summer Olympics and the 2020 Summer Olympics) 7 June: Seoul, South Korea (host city of the 1988 Summer Olympics) 8 June: Beijing, China (host city of the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics) 10 June: Delhi, India	Tokyo Seoul Beijing Delhi

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Route in Africa

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Date	Map
11 June: Cairo, Egypt 12 June: Cape Town, South Africa	Cairo Cape Town

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Route in Americas

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Date

Map

13 June: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics) 15 June: Mexico City, Mexico (host city of the 1968 Summer Olympics) 16 June: Los Angeles, United States (host city of the 1932, 1984 and upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics) 17 June: St. Louis (host city of the 1904 Summer Olympics) 18 June: Atlanta (host city of the 1996 Summer Olympics) 19 June: New York (headquarters of United Nations) 20 June: Montreal, Canada (host city of the 1976 Summer Olympics)

Rio de Janeiro Mexico City Los Angeles St. Louis Atlanta New York Montreal

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Route in Europe (excluding Greece)

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Date

Map

21 June: Antwerp, Belgium (host city of the 1920 Summer Olympics) 22 June: Brussels 23 June: Amsterdam, Netherlands (host city of the 1928 Summer Olympics) 24 June: Geneva, Switzerland (headquarters of League of Nations and many United Nations agencies) Lausanne (headquarters of the International Olympic Committee and host city of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics) 25 June: Paris, France (host city of the 1900, 1924 Summer Olympics and the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics) 26 June: London, United Kingdom (host city of the 1908, 1948 and the 2012 Summer Olympics) 27 June: Madrid, Spain Barcelona (host city of the 1992 Summer Olympics) 28 June: Rome, Italy (host city of the 1960 Summer Olympics) 29 June: Munich, Germany (host city of the 1972 Summer Olympics) 30 June: Berlin (host city of the 1936 Summer Olympics) 1 July: Stockholm, Sweden (host city of the 1912 Summer Olympics and the equestrian events of the 1956 Summer Olympics) 2 July: Helsinki, Finland (host city of the 1952 Summer Olympics) 3 July: Moscow, Russia (host city of the 1980 Summer Olympics) 5 July: Kyiv, Ukraine 6 July: Istanbul, Turkey 7 July: Sofia, Bulgaria 8 July: Nicosia, Cyprus

Antwerp Brussels Amsterdam Geneva Lausanne Paris London Madrid Barcelona Rome Munich Berlin Stockholm Helsinki Moscow Kyiv Istanbul Sofia Nicosia

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The International Leg of the 2004 Olympic Torch Relay concluded on July 8, 2004, just over a month after it began its global journey and just over a month before the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony on 13 August 2004.

Heraklion

Sitia

Agia Galini

Chania

Rhodes

Syros

Mytilene

Samothrace

Alexandroupoli

Xanthi

Philippi

Serres

Kilkis

Polygyros

Thessaloniki

Dion

Vergina

Florina

Kozani

Kastoria

Ioannina

Kalabaka

Volos

Skiathos

Chalcis

Amarynthos

Kymi

Aliveri

Delphi

Zakynthos

Corfu

Preveza

Agrinio

Patras

Corinth

Marathon

Piraeus

Athens

9 July (day 1)

• Heraklion

10 July (day 2)

• Knossos, Malia, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia

11 July (day 3)

• Ierapetra, Pyrgos, Agia Galini

12 July (day 4)

• Spili, Rethymno, Chania

13 July (day 5)

• Karpathos, Kalymnos, Kos, Kastellorizo, Rhodes

14 July (day 6)

• Santorini, Sifnos, Paros, Naxos, Mykonos, Syros

15 July (day 7)

• Tinos, Andros, Samos, Chios, Oinousses, Mytilene

16 July (day 8)

• Lemnos, Thasos, Samothrace

17 July (day 9)

• Orestiada, Didymoteicho, Soufli, Feres, Alexandroupoli

18 July (day 10)

• Sapes, Komotini, Lake Vistonida, Abdera, Xanthi

19 July (day 11)

• Chrysoupoli, Kavala, Philippi

20 July (day 12)

• Drama, Alistrati, Nea Zichni, Serres

21 July (day 13)

• Sidirokastro, Vyroneia, Doirani, Kato Poroia, Kilkis

22 July (day 14)

• Langadas, Polygyros

23 July (day 15)

• Moudania, Triglia, Epanomi, Michaniona, Thermi, Thessaloniki

24 July (day 16)

• Pella, Giannitsa, Alexandreia, Litochoro, Dion

25 July (day 17)

• Katerini, Kolindros, Aiginio, Meliki, Vergina

26 July (day 18)

• Veria, Naousa, Skydra, Edessa, Florina

27 July (day 19)

• Psarades, Amyntaio, Ptolemaida, Kozani

28 July (day 20)

• Grevena, Siatista, Kastoria

29 July (day 21)

• Eptachori, Konitsa, Kalpaki, Dodoni, Ioannina

30 July (day 22)

• Mikro Peristeri, Metsovo, Kalabaka

31 July (day 23)

• Trikala, Karditsa, Larissa, Nea Ionia, Volos

1 August (day 24)

• Stylida, Lamia, Karpenisi, Skopelos, Skiathos

2 August (day 25)

• Kymi, Aliveri, Amarynthos, Chalcis

3 August (day 26)

• Aliartos, Livadia, Arachova, Delphi

4 August (day 27)

• Amfissa, Itea, Galaxidi, Nafpaktos, Zakynthos

5 August (day 28):

• Argostoli, Ithaca, Astakos, Lefkada, Corfu

6 August (day 29):

• Igoumenitsa, Syvota, Parga, Preveza

7 August (day 30):

• Arta, Menidi, Amfilochia, Agrinio

8 August (day 31):

• Missolonghi, Rio–Antirrio bridge, Patras

9 August (day 32):

• Aigio, Akrata, Xylokastro, Kiato, Corinth

10 August (day 33):

• Thebes, Marathon

11 August (day 34):

• Piraeus

12–13 August (days 35 & 36):

• Athens

After visiting Cyprus, the Greek Leg of the Torch Relay resumed on 9 July 2004, with the flame touching down in Crete in the city of Heraklion. During the Greek Leg of the relay, the torch also made a cursory stopover in Albania when the torch was carried through a lake on the Greek-Albanian border.

The International Olympic Committee has indicated that, due to the success of the 2004 run, they might sanction a global circumnavigation of the flame before every succeeding Olympics. However, those plans were abandoned in March 2009 due to the protests in the international leg of the torch relay of the 2008 Summer Olympics (with an exception made for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games).^[1][2]

• 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay