Muhammad Ali Lights the Olympic Flame in Atlanta

On July 19, 1996, the opening ceremony of the Centennial Olympic Games reached its emotional peak when former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali emerged to ignite the cauldron at Centennial Olympic Stadium. Ali, who had won an Olympic boxing gold medal in 1960, received a replacement medal during the Atlanta Games, providing an indelible image that contrasted sharply with the heated international campaign that had brought the competition to Georgia.

According to the Muhammad Ali Center, the idea of having Ali light the cauldron came from NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol, and his identity was kept a closely guarded secret until the ceremony. Inside the stadium the flame passed among several Olympians, including boxer Evander Holyfield and Greek athlete Voula Patoulidou, before swimmer Janet Evans handed it to Ali. His hands trembling from Parkinson's disease, he lit the cauldron as the crowd roared. Later in the Games, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch presented Ali with the replacement gold medal at halftime of the men's basketball final.