Customer:
AKTOR/ATHOC, Athens
The main stadium cauldron is the centre piece of the Olympic Games. Lit at the culmination of the Opening Ceremony and burning throughout the games until the end of the Closing Ceremony, the cauldron flame signifies the Olympic Spirit that burns within athletes, officials and spectators alike.
Work on the main stadium cauldron began with the construction of a scale model of the stadium to test the effects of prevailing winds on the flame. The data from the modelling process was used to design a combustion system that produced a flame that is highly visible, reliable and safe in all weather conditions. FCT used our patented Crinkle Burner technology, which ensures a strong flame in high wind conditions.
FCT’s engineering team undertook a programme of pilot scale tests and technical evaluations to ensure that our design met ATHOC’s requirements. Multiple redundancies were engineered into the design to meet all unexpected contingencies that could possibly arise. Manufacture was outsourced to our Australian subcontractor and was closely supervised, and factory acceptance testing ensured that the burner package operated as specified prior to shipping to Athens.
The FCT project team supervised our Greek subcontractor during installation, before successfully commissioning the cauldron well within the project timeline. The cauldron operated perfectly during the opening ceremony and our people were available throughout the Olympic Games to support the equipment should the necessity arise. Adam Wildi, Jack Morton Public Events’ Senior Technical Director, wrote that the cauldron was “a credit to your company”.
Watch the video of Opening ceremony of Athens Olympic Games 2004