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The 1996 Summer Paralympics torch relay, also referred to as the
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Paralympic Torch Relay to reflect the event's lead sponsor, was held between August 5 and August 15, leading up to the
1996 Summer Paralympics The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, were held from August 16 to 25. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million. It was the first Paralympic Games where Internatio ...
in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, United States. It was the first Paralympic torch relay held in the United States, beginning at the King Center in Atlanta, then being run from
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, back to Atlanta. Unlike the 1996 Summer Olympics torch relay, which had been conveyed part of the way by motor vehicles and trains.This was a relay carried out exclusively by human power,as the organizers described the Paralympic torch as being moved by "people power only". This included runners on foot and in wheelchairs, cyclists, as well as horseback riders, water-skiers, kayakers, and a rider on a specialized
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.


Relay

The relay began in Atlanta on the morning of August 5.Hart, Anne
"A torch borne by people power"
''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...
'', August 5, 1996, page B2.
The flame was collected from the eternal flame at the tomb of
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
at the
King Center for Nonviolent Social Change The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, commonly known as The King Center, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. History The King Center was founded in 1968 by Coretta Scott Ki ...
. King's son Dexter Scott King lit a torch from the eternal flame, then passed it to Atlanta Paralympic Committee president Andrew Fleming,who placed it in the lantern that was taken to Washington D.C. The flame was then flown to
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, for a ceremony at the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
on the morning of August 6, where President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
spoke before the lighting of the first torch. The flame was then run down the
National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institu ...
to the
United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...
and the
Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a List of national memorials of the United States, U.S. national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States, located on the western end of the Nati ...
before crossing out of the District to
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...
. Proceeding southward from Washington, the torch passed through
Woodbridge, Virginia Woodbridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, located south of Washington, D.C. Bounded by the Occoquan River, Occoquan and Potomac River, Potomac rivers, Woodbridge had 44,668 residents at the ...
and ended its first day in
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
. On August 7, the flame was carried from Richmond to
South Boston South Boston (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...
. Crossing into North Carolina, the torch stopped for a mid-day celebration in Durham before leaving for Burlington and spending the night of August 8 in
Greensboro Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, af ...
. The next day, the relay passed through Kernersville on its way to a morning celebration in
Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...
, then traveled through Clemmons, Cooleemee, Mooresville, Davidson, Cornelius, and Huntersville before stopping for the evening in Charlotte. Charlotte mayor
Pat McCrory Patrick Lloyd McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd mayor of Charlotte ...
was among those who carried the torch in the city."And now comes the Paralympic Torch Relay"
''
The Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. It is owned by Chatham Asset ...
'', August 6, 1996, page 1C.
On August 10, the flame left Charlotte, passing through Belmont, Gastonia, and Kings Mountain before leaving the state at
Grover Grover is a blue Muppet character on the PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Self-described as lovable, cute, and furry, he is a blue monster who rarely uses contractions when he speaks or sings. Grover was originally perfo ...
. In South Carolina, the torch was carried through Blacksburg, Gaffney, and
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on its way to a mid-day celebration in
Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-most populous city in the state. The Office of Management and Budg ...
. The torch was originally scheduled to stop in
Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...
, on the evening of August 10. However, this plan was canceled after the Greenville County Council passed a resolution condemning
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
. The
Olympic torch relay The Olympic torch relay is the ceremonial relaying of the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, to the site of an Olympic Games. It was introduced at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as a way for Adolf Hitler to highlight the Nazi claim of Arya ...
had similarly shunned Greenville after the resolution was passed, driving the flame through the county, shielded from view, before entering and after leaving Greenville city limits. The Paralympic torch relay organizers went further, bypassing Greenville entirely by traveling southward from
Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-most populous city in the state. The Office of Management and Budg ...
to Switzer, Enoree, and Laurens, before turning west toward Hickory Tavern,
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, Honea Path, and Belton, and stopping for the day in Anderson.Simon, Anna
"Paralympic torch to stay in Anderson on way to Atlanta"
''
Greenville News ''The Greenville News'' is a daily morning newspaper published in Greenville, South Carolina. After ''The State'' in Columbia and Charleston's ''The Post and Courier'', it is the third largest paper in South Carolina. History ''The Greenville ...
'', July 12, 1996, page 2D.
This made August 10 by far the longest day of the relay in terms of distance traveled, with a total length of 147 miles."Senoia on Paralympic flame route"
'' Newnan Times-Herald'', August 3, 1996, pages 1A an
11A
On August 11, the flame arrived in Georgia, with the handover ceremony scheduled for the middle of
Lake Hartwell Lake Hartwell is a man-made reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina and encompassing parts of the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca Rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the largest recreation lakes in the Southeastern United States. It was creat ...
. Catherine Fletcher, a paraplegic kayaker, was to pass the torch to fellow kayaker Will Carlton two miles from the shore. However, while she was attempting to hand it over, Fletcher's kayak capsized. Fletcher came up unharmed, but the torch was extinguished and lost at the bottom of the lake. The backup flame was passed to Carlton and the relay continued, passing through the towns of
Hartwell Hartwell may refer to: Places * Hartwell, Victoria, a neighbourhood of Camberwell in Melbourne, Australia ** Hartwell railway station England * Hartwell, Buckinghamshire * Hartwell, Northamptonshire, a village * Hartwell, Staffordshire, a lo ...
, Hull, and Colbert before ending the day in
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
.Hart, Anne
"Torch takes dive in Lake Hartwell"
''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...
'', August 12, 1996, page B1.
The relay route on August 12 traveled through Watkinsville, Madison,
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, and
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on its way to Macon. The next day, IWWF disabled
waterski Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a Surface water sports, surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a Cable skiing, cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on one or two s ...
champion Steve Hodges skied with the torch across Lake Tobesofkee. The relay then passed through Yatesville, Thomaston (where quadraplegic local resident Jeff Vinings carried the torch on his custom riding lawnmower),
Woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...
, and
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
.Hart, Anne, and Celia Sibley
"By water ski, horse, lawnmower, torch wends its way to Atlanta"
''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...
'', August 14, 1996, page B5.
Hart, Anne
"Torch gets wild rides"
''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...
'', August 11, 1996, page 11.
It spent the night of Warm Springs, at the newly opened Center for Therapeutic Recreation at the
Roosevelt Institute The Roosevelt Institute is a liberal American think tank headquartered in New York City. History and overview The Roosevelt Institute was created in 1987 through the merger of the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four ...
, which was being used as a training facility for Paralympic athletes. On August 14, the torch left Warm Springs and traveled north through Woodbury,
Gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...
, Alvaton, Haralson, and Senoia, entering the Atlanta suburbs at Fayetteville. Local disabled residents in McDonough protested the decision to have 10 non-disabled runners and only two disabled torchbearers carry the flame through their town. From McDonough, the relay continued to
Stone Mountain Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome Inselberg, monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park, east of Atlanta, Georgia. Outside the park is the city of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The park is the most visited tourist site in the state of Ge ...
(stopping at City Hall and not visiting the Confederate monument for which the town is named, despite the fact that the monument park was the venue for some Paralympic events). The relay's final day took the torch through Clarkston and past the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur. Entering the city of Atlanta, mid-day celebrations were held at Phipps Plaza and the Shepherd Spinal Center before the relay finished at
Atlanta City Hall Atlanta City Hall is the headquarters of the City of Atlanta government. It was constructed in 1930, and is located in Downtown Atlanta. It is a high-rise office tower very similar to dozens of other city halls built in the United States duri ...
. That evening, in the opening ceremony at
Centennial Olympic Stadium Centennial Olympic Stadium was the 85,000-seat main stadium of the 1996 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Paralympics, Paralympics in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Construction of the stadium began in 1993, and it was comp ...
, the cauldron was lit by paraplegic climber Mark Wellman, who ascended a 120-foot rope with only the use of his arms, the torch attached to his legs, in order to light it.Lenhard, Elizabeth
"Ceremony's spirit soars"
''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...
'', August 16, 1996, page C9.


References

{{Olympic torch relays Torch relay Summer Paralympics torch relays