This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/11/2022
Presented here is an official torch from the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics with its very own mounting stand for ideal wall display. Lasting from Sept. 15 to Oct. 1, the 2000 Summer Games marked the second time an Olympics was held down under (1956 Melbourne) and the second to take place in the Southern Hemisphere's spring season. They were considered one of the best organized and most exciting Games ever, introducing the world to a 15-year-old Michael Phelps who was overshadowed in the pool by Australia's own Ian Thorpe ("Thorpedo"). The torch relay passed within an hour's drive of 85% of Australia's population and traveled over 27,000 km, making it the longest in Olympic history. It was quite an ordeal that lasted four months and included 13,400 torchbearers, ending with Aborigine track and field star Kathy Freeman igniting the Olympic flame.
Comprised of steel and aluminum, the lovely white and aqua torch measures just over 30" long and 4" at its widest. It is designed by Blue Sky Design and manufactured by G.A. & L. Harrington Pty Ltd. The tree layers represent earth, fire and water. Its unique aesthetics took inspiration from the unmistakable Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, and two symbols of the Aborigine culture - the boomerang and didgeridoo. The Sydney Games emblem is stamped prominently at the top white section of the torch. The torch comes in terrific condition, seemingly unused, with a very impressive 35" high and 21" wide metal and Acrylic display case/stand that gives the overall presentation of this piece a major boost for one's office or home decor. The display piece weighs a solid 15 lbs. and the torch can be latched to two clasps.