Today on History X we're going to cover five secrets
surrounding what is arguably the best Olympic torch-lighting ceremony ever!
To date there have been 38 Olympic torch-lighting ceremonies.
Some exciting. Some, well, not so exciting.
Today on History X we're going to cover five secrets
surrounding what is arguably the best torch-lighting ceremony ever.
But if we're just meeting for the first time, my name is Ken Stano and I've got a huge passion
for historical people, places and events like the Olympic opening ceremonies.
Here's a little background...
This amazing shot with the flaming arrow to open the 1992 summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain
was made by 37-year-old Antonio Rebollo.
Antonio had already become an accomplished archer
when the Barcelona Olympic Committee asked him to ignite the Olympic cauldron
in a way that had never been attempted before.
The first secret we uncover about Antonio Rebollo?
Did you know that he was disabled?
When he was just eight months old, he had contracted polio
which had terribly affected his right leg.
But in spite of all that, he actually became a very proficient archer
and he went on to represent Spain as a paralympic archery champion, winning several Olympic medals.
The second secret we learn about Antonio Rebollo?
Did you know he was almost dropped-off the list of candidates simply because of where he was raised?
Okay, here's the deal...
The city of Barcelona actually lies within a region called Catalonia.
Catalonia can best be described as a free-zone, or state.
It basically represents itself when it comes to several leading institutions in the daily life;
whether it's education, health care, or infrastructure.
The only major aspect of life that Catalonia shares with the rest of Spain is the judicial system.
But everything else it handles on its own. Let's put that into context.
If you consider the state of Texas to be its own government
when it comes to all things educational, infrastructure, health care.
Okay, so what does all of that have to do with Antonio Rebollo? Well, he wasn't from Barcelona.
He was actually from Madrid, which is 400 miles west of Barcelona.
You see, Antonio was one of 200 archery candidates considered for this torch-lighting ceremony.
That list was eventually narrowed down to four, and then finally to Antonio and one other candidate.
Guess what... That other candidate was from Catalonia.
Throughout the long and difficult selection process,
the Barcelona Olympic organizers turned-out to be a bunch of dicks.
And for those of you that are familiar with my videos, I don't use that term lightly.
As a matter of fact, I don't use that term at all. But it definitely applies in this case.
What was the problem with where Antonio was raised?
Again, let's compare Catalonia to the state of Texas.
"God bless Texas!", "Everything's bigger in Texas!". You get the idea.
And if the Olympics were being hosted in a Texas city; say San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas.
And the archer ultimately selected to light the cauldron was from up north, say in Minneapolis?
I mean let's face it. We can all agree that would not go over too well.
"We don't want a northerner taking that shot. It's got to be a red-blooded southerner."
Secret number three.
Did you know that Antonio Rebollo, along with all of the other archery candidates up for lighting the cauldron,
had to undergo lengthy psychological evaluations?
The Barcelona Olympic Committee, yeah they did not want to suffer the embarrassment of a missed shot.
They wanted to be sure that whoever they selected
had the mental fortitude to handle the stress of being on such a large international stage.
However they did recognize that Antonio Rebollo had the skills. He had the mental fortitude to make that shot.
In fact, after 700 attempts, he only missed twice.
But were the Barcelona Olympic organizers satisfied? Of course not.
They shifted into 'dick-mode' yet again and demanded Antonio teach his techniques to the other less-skilled candidates.
After all, he was the unpopular choice. He had proven he could do it, but he wasn't from Catalonia. He wasn't from Barcelona.
To Antonio's credit, and I love this, he refused their lame request.
He threw his bow down on the ground, went to the airport, and flew back to Madrid.
But after just a week later the Barcelona Olympic Committee apologized
and asked Antonio to return to the selection process.
When it was finally narrowed down to just two candidates, Antonio Rebollo and the hometown alternate from Catalonia,
the Barcelona Olympic Committee waited until just two hours
before the shot was to take place to let Antonio know that he had been chosen.
I mean just imagine the pressure.
It sounds like the Barcelona Olympic Committee had no concept
of what an athlete goes through to take a shot like this.
But despite all of that, Antonio was a rock. He was steel. And he made this clutch shot look incredibly easy.
In fact, the guy lighting the arrow with the flaming torch was said to be more nervous than Antonio.
Secret number four.
Some people claim that Antonio actually missed.
But in fact his shot could not have been more perfect.
To properly ignite the cauldron the arrow had to actually fly through a gas stream
that had been propelled into the air.
If the arrow fell short and landed in the bottom of the cauldron, it risked failing to ignite the gas.
Same goes if the arrow traveled too high.
If it flew above the gas stream, that gas would have dissipated into the air and again failed to ignite.
No, Antonio was right on target and this was a perfect shot.
The charred and bent arrow was recovered outside the stadium
and it currently sits in the International Olympic Museum in Luzerne, Switzerland.
Secret number five surrounding the greatest Olympic torch-lighting in history...
What if Antonio missed the target? I mean there were plenty of factors screwing with him.
The odds were against him.
We've already mentioned the psychological hurdles thrown-up by the Barcelona Olympic Committee.
Add to that the immense pressure of being on such an international stage
and the fact that all eyes of the world were laser-focused on him that night.
It's dark. He could barely make-out the shape of the cauldron.
All the camera flashes right in his face.
And then, if that wasn't enough, the wind.
I mean look at that. The wind was going crazy that night.
But Antonio had practiced for nearly a year in all kinds of different conditions,
including wind, rain, even a power outage. He was ready for anything.
But there were a couple of contingencies in the unlikely event that Antonio did miss.
The first... When the Barcelona Olympic Committee asked Antonio to return after they had insulted him,
he agreed, on one condition; that he be allowed a second arrow in the event that he did miss.
The second contingency...
Rumors were circulating that there was actually a remote-controlled igniting device;
a device similar to what you might have in the gas grill on your patio.
That device could be ignited remotely in the event that Antonio did miss.
Obviously Antonio Rebollo made a perfect shot and that second arrow wasn't needed.
And I really want to believe that nobody activated that remote-controlled igniting device,
because after all, it was a perfect shot.
There are some things in history that are just destined to go off without a hitch,
and when you see the majesty of Antonio's flaming arrow flying through the air to light that Olympic cauldron,
at that particular moment, what could be wrong with the world?
If you found the story behind Antonio Rebollo's flaming arrow exciting, inspirational, hair raising;
then please click and subscribe!
I get a huge thrill digging into the secrets behind these sensational historical events
and we've got a lot more coming!
My name is Ken Stano
Thank you for checking out History X
The first. [cat meow] The first was...
[cat meow]
The first. What?
Hey buddy....
Are you gonna help?
Say 'Hi'