what happens to the olympic flame

When the Olympic Games end, the Olympic flame is symbolically extinguished in the closing ceremony, marking the official end of that edition of the Games and the “sleep” of the Olympic spirit until the next Olympics.

What happens to the Olympic flame?

• During the Games, the flame burns in a large cauldron in the host city and is kept alight continuously as a symbol of peace, continuity and the Olympic spirit.

• At the closing ceremony, there is a formal “snuffing” or extinguishing of the flame — this is a planned, emotional moment that signals the Games are over.

• Once the cauldron flame is put out, that specific flame’s life is considered complete; it is not preserved somewhere in secret or moved to another city.

• For the next Games, a brand‑new flame is lit again in Olympia, Greece, using a special ceremony with a parabolic mirror and the sun, then sent on a new torch relay to the next host.

What about the torches and “backup” flames?

• Individual torches used in the relay go out all the time due to wind, rain or technical glitches, so officials carry special lanterns holding “backup” versions of the same original flame from Olympia to relight them.

• These safety flames travel by secure transport (often on planes and vehicles) and are kept burning throughout the relay, ensuring every torch can be traced back to the same original lighting.

• After the Games, those backup flames are also allowed to go out; they are not kept eternally burning as an official IOC practice.

Does the flame ever “continue” between Games?

In a symbolic sense, the Olympic flame continues as a tradition, not as a literal, never‑ending fire. Each Games restarts the cycle:

1. New flame lit in Olympia, Greece.
2. Torch relay to the host nation.
3. Flame burns in the cauldron for the duration of the Games.
4. Flame is ceremonially extinguished at the closing ceremony.
5. The next Olympics repeat the process with a newly lit flame.

Forum and trending angle

• Fans often ask “What happens to the Olympic flame?” on forums around each Games, especially when they see the emotional extinguishing moment in the closing ceremony.

• Recent discussions also note that newer cauldrons (like Paris 2024’s water‑and‑light effect) play with the idea of what “counts” as a flame, but the symbolic extinguishing at the end still marks the same transition to the next Olympics.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.