Why was Muhammad Ali shaking at the Olympics?
When “The Greatest” stepped into the spotlight to light the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 opening ceremony, he was simultaneously battling Parkinson’s disease.
Did Muhammad Ali ever carry the Olympic torch?
ATLANTA — It is a moment that Atlanta will never forget: boxing legend Muhammad Ali standing in front of the world, holding the Olympic torch proudly in the air, signaling the beginning of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. That moment happened on July 19, 1996, 25 years ago to the day.
When did Muhammad Ali carry the Olympic torch?
July 19, 1996: Muhammad Ali holds the torch before lighting the Olympic Flame during the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a moment that so many across the U.S. will never forget, especially Olympian Janet Evans.
Who lit the Olympic flame in 2016?
People who have lit the Olympic cauldron
| Games | Location | Lighter |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 Summer | Rio de Janeiro | Jorge Gomes (public cauldron) |
| 2018 Winter | Pyeongchang | Yuna Kim |
| 2020 Summer | Tokyo | Naomi Osaka (stadium cauldron) |
| Ayaka Takahashi (public cauldron) |
Did Muhammad Ali burn his hand?
“Three billion people, and I look like a fool.” What he looked like was a great man about to burn himself trying to light the family grill. As he extended his torch towards the thingamajig, the torch flame licked back toward Ali’s hand. “It felt funny for a minute,” he says, but he was not burned.
Did Ali fight in the Olympics?
Rome 1960. As Cassius Clay, Ali travelled to the 1960 Rome Games to compete in the light heavyweight division. Despite being only 18, he won all four of his fights easily. In the final he defeated three-time European champion Zbigniew Pietrzykowski to win the gold medal.