The Olympic Parade of Peace: From ancient dreams to modern flames 
The Olympic Games have long been a symbol of unity, bringing together athletes from across the globe in a celebration of human achievement, sportsmanship, unity and friendly competition. At the heart of this international spectacle lies a powerful tradition: The Parade of Peace. This opening ceremony showcases the spirit of the Olympics, signifying the ideals of harmony and cooperation among nations.
The modern Olympic Games, revived in 1896, drew inspiration from the ancient Greek Olympics. However, the Parade of Nations, as it was originally called, became a mainstay at the Olympics beginning with the 1908 London Games. At first, it was a simple procession of athletes, with just 22 nations competing, but over time, it evolved into a grand spectacle that captures the world’s attention, with 205 nations taking part most recently.
The Parade of Peace serves multiple purposes, celebrating the values of unity, cultural exchange and equality. All nations, no matter their size and no matter their status in the world, get equal representation at the parade, where athletes are encouraged to express their cultural identity freely and openly.
Central to the Olympic ceremony is the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. This tradition, which began in 1928, symbolizes the connection between the ancient and modern games. The flame is lit in Olympia, Greece, and then travels to the host city, carried by thousands of torchbearers in a relay that spans continents. Cities have frequently exhibited their own culture as part of the lighting, including the Paris Olympics in 2024, in which the lighting paid homage to flight, with a hot-air balloon bearing the flame as it made its way to the City of Light.
This symbol, harkening back to the flight that scientist Pilatre de Rozier and the marquis d’Arlandes took in a hot-air balloon on Nov. 21, 1783, was a beautiful ode both to human achievement and to our shared ingenuity — and of course to the peace that we all yearn to experience, to the fraternity and togetherness that the Olympics inspires us every four years to pursue.
The Parade of Peace, including Refugee Olympic Teams, led as always by the Greek athletes, in honor of the birthplace of the Olympics, remains a focal point of the celebratory nature of the games. While the two weeks that follow emphasize the extremes to which the human spirit can go in search of meaning and fulfillment, at that ceremony all nations are one. All nations are a single globe, every nation recognizing in every other nation the beautiful diversity that makes us who we are.
At the Parade of Peace, we cannot help but see all that we share. We catch a glimpse, brighter than at most other times of our lives, of what is within reach when we come together as one and embrace a single vision of collaboration.
As the flame is lit in Paris, concluding the ceremony, it illuminates the sky and invigorates all who look on, for the example and splendor that this quadrennial tradition encompasses.
- Abeer S. Al-Saud is an op-ed writer for Arab News, exploring development, peace and cultural topics. The views expressed in this piece are personal. X: @abeeralsaud.
