or1980v2pt1

The Torch, the Lamp for the
Spare Flame, the
Ceremonial Cups
The most important feature of the
relay was the torch. Work on it was
begun in 1978.
It was first proposed to use
pyrotechnic components as fuel for
the torch. However tests had shown
that the high burning temperature and
the build-up of waste called for great
care in the use of the torch. This first
proposition was only used in the
creation of a variant of the torch
which was to be carried around the
stadiums (20 of this type were produced).
In general it was decided to use
liquid gas (a propane-butane mix) as a
fuel, for this could guarantee a
regular flame and an optimum weight
along with complete safety for the
runner.
A group of Leningrad engineers
under the direction of Boris Tuchin
constructed a model torch over a very
short period of time. After full testing
it was recommended for series production.
The torch of the Moscow Olympics,
in its construction and its outside
appearance, did not resemble its
predecessors. Its basic elements comprised
a burner section, a ringed cup
and protective screen, made from an
aluminium alloy, along with the torch
handle containing the gas reservoir.
(See Fig...)
The cup and the screen were
golden yellow while the burner section
and the handle were of a silvery
shade.
The protective cover carried the
official emblem of the Games of the
XXII Olympiad while on the burner
section was inscribed "Moscow—
Olympiad-80".
Dimensions of the torch: length—
565 mm, minimum diameter—27 mm,
maximum diameter—100 mm. Weight
with full gas reservoir—700 g, burning
time—8-10 min.
Leningrad enterprises provided the
relay with 6,200 torches and the same
number of gas reservoirs.
The torch was registered as an
invention at the State Registry of
Inventions of the USSR, inventor's
certificate No. 729414 was given the
group which had created the torch by
264
the USSR State Committee on Inventions
and Discoveries.
In order to guarantee the preservation
of the flame lit at Olympia, it was
kept in the special lamps. The OCOG-
80 decided not to use a miners lamp
for this purpose as the organisers of
the previous Games had done. The
same group of Leningrad scientists
worked on a special lamp for the
spare flame.
By May 1979 the model had undergone
the test successfully.
The lamp for the spare flame was
of a simple design and trouble-free. It
could burn without a break for 48
hours. It was fueled either by kerosene
or by liquified gas.
During the relay the lamp was
carried in a special escort vehicle.
The technical means which were
used to deliver the Olympic flame to
Moscow also included the cups for
the ceremonial greeting of the flame
along the route of the relay. These
cups guaranteed a steady burning of
the flame over longer periods of time
and were also used for the ritual
handing over of the Olympic flame for
safekeeping to the place where the
relay stayed overnight.
A group of Moscow engineers
under the direction of Alexandre
Sergeev worked on two variants of the
cup—a Small Cup (diameter 240 mm)
and a Large Cup (diameter 750 mm).
The fuel for both was a mixture based
on dry spirit.
The Large Cup was collapsible
which allowed it to be assembled or
taken apart quickly and to be transported
over any distance.
Around the burner of the Large
Cup the words "Olympia-Athens-Sofia-
Bucharest-Moscow" were worked in
metal.
Twelve of the Large Cups were
manufactured by Moscow enterprises.
Some of these were sent to the NOCs
of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and to
the Olympic cities of Tallinn, Leningrad,
Kiev and Minsk. The rest were
used during the course of the relay.
Fifty of the Small Cups were handed
over to the republican and region
organising committees on the territory
of the USSR.