1980 MOSCOW TORCH THE UNKNOWN HISTORY

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Joleen Sparks
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1 1980 MOSCOW TORCH THE UNKNOWN HISTORY By Dr. Oleg Vorontsov Last year I acquired in Russia the archives of the head engineer and designer of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow torch, who died a couple of years ago. I thought it would be my obligation as an ISOH member to systematize the data and to publish unknown pages of the 1980 Olympic Games. Most of the photos in this article are published for the first time. The Moscow torch was designed at the Leningrad s Scientific and Industrial Unit named by V.Y. Klimov (equipment building factory). Boris Petrovich Tuchin was nominated as the head of the group of the designers. Boris Tuchin and Valentin Ljubman, member of the group, met for the first time the representatives of the Organizing Committee Relay and Ceremonies Department on October 26, 1978 in Moscow. The Deputy Head of Department, Jury Zinjkovich, and the employee Roman Kuzjminsky explained two technicians the important task: to create the draft model of the torch within one month (!!!). As a matter of fact, the factory bosses accepted the important order from Moscow on the condition that the designers and the technicians, nominated to this group, would do their job after the normal work or during the weekends. The factory was elected in a very simple way. People in the Organizing Committee of the Moscow Games knew that the Munich torch worked on gas. Moreover, they had the German magazine GT im Bildt, No.63, December That was the only source of information about the Olympic torches, plus the samples of Munich and Montreal torches. According to the German magazine, the company (GT) worked 4 years ( ) on the Munich torch project. So, to create the sample within one month during extra-official time at the factory was real challenge for the technicians. The Leningrad factory during that time was producing lighters as a part of the civil production. That is why the Leningrad s Communist Party Regional Committee recommended the Organizing Committee of the Games to submit the order to the factory. Originally, the Soviet designers were supposed to produce only the sample, and the Japanese company Mizuno, Official Supplier of the uniforms and materials for the torch relay ceremony, was obliged to produce 6000 torches and 50 small bowls for the fire for small ceremonies, as well as supply 1000 briquettes of solid fuel for lamps, 1500 small and 200 big cans of fuel for lamps (support lamps to keep the fire during transportation and storage). However, due to the fact that the organizing Committee of the games did not allow Mizuno to use their corporate logo on the torch the Japanese company declined to produce torches. According to the contract between organizers and Mizuno the Japanese firm paid $US 230,000 as penalty. As to the quantity of the torches, there arc some discrepancies in the figures. According to the plan, approved by the Head of the Organizing Committee Relay and Ceremonies Department on July 29, 1979 (the plan itself was prepared on July, 16), there were 5200 torches in order. However, in the letter of the Deputy Aviation Minister I. Salashchenko from May 25, 1979 to the attention of the 3 different Leningrad s factories, involved in the production, 6200 torches were mentioned. Another two factories, Industrial Unit The Northern Factory, producer of the cases, and Scientific and Industrial Unit Electroavtomatica, producer of the handles, were included in the list of the producers. The final quantity produced was The following technicians formed part of the designers group: Boris Tuchin, Eugene Sur, Vladimir Gaido, Valentin Ljubman, Eduard Litvinenko, Jakov Pinsker, Boris Suvorov, Anatoliy Potiforov, Boris Rogachev. Valentin. On the 28th of 24 JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY - MAY 2002

2 The route of the 1980 Olympic Torch Relay JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY - MAY

3 October 1978, Saturday, two days after meeting at the Organizing Committee in Moscow, the group gathered for the first time. Boris Tuchin offered to draw the designs and most of the people present expressed themselves and their thoughts about Moscow torch. We can see now most of the copies of the first drawings (see photos). The first prototype of the torch was tested on November 28, 1978 at 5.05 p.m. The first presentation of the torch sample to the Organizing Committee of the Moscow Games took place on December 16, 1978 in Leningrad in the covered Athletic Hall named by V. Alckseev. The torch was lit at 8.20 p.m. and lasted 12 minutes, more, than the Organizing Committee was putting as a target (7-10 minutes). The young athlete in triple jump Vitaly Daniljchuk made first trial run in the Hall. In couple of days the Organizing Committee in Moscow approved this prototype. On the 21st of July 1979 the prototype of the Olympic torch was used to light the flame of the VII-th Soviet Spartakiad on the Lenin s Stadium in Moscow. This torch weighted 975 gr. The final version of the torch had the following dimensions: 550 mm length, maximum diameter 100 mm, minimum diameter 27 mm, weight with the gas cylinder 900 gr. According to the plan of the Organizing Committee the Olympic flame was supposed to arrive to Moscow on July 18th, Next day the bowl at the Lenin s Stadium should have been lighted and afterwards, on July 20th by special trains the flame in the special lamps were to arrive to Tallinn (Olympic regatta), Kiev, Leningrad, Minsk (football tournament sites). So, in May 1979 the Organizing Committee asked the designers once more for another favour design of the reserve lamp. The first response was negative. The main argument of the Organizing Committee was that they knew already the high qualification of the designers and their ability to work. The main reason of the designers to reject the job was the lack of experience and information about the reserve lamps and the position of the management of the factory, as even the Olympic torch was created during the off work time. However, Roman Kuzjminsky from the Organizing Committee provided the designers with the reserve lamp of the Sapporo 1972 Winter Prototype design by head designer Boris Tuchin Prototype design by engineer Valentin Ljubman 26 JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY - MAY 2002

4 Final design by head designer Boris Tuchin JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY - MAY

Olympic games, and after several meetings he persuaded the designers that it was important for themselves to create the reserve lamp to guarantee that the sacred flame from Olympia will be safe under

5 Olympic games, and after several meetings he persuaded the designers that it was important for themselves to create the reserve lamp to guarantee that the sacred flame from Olympia will be safe under any circumstances till the official ceremony in Moscow and all other cities. The biggest problem in the lamp design was to create simple system, which would allow regulating the height of the flame and possibility to fuel it without opening the lamp. In 1972 in Munich. for example, the Organizing Committee was using two railway signal lamps, which were working on propane gas in the gas-cylinder of 3,2 kg. They were supposed to maintain flame for 6 consecutive weeks. Thus any risk was eliminated. As a matter of fact, on the first stage of the torch relay in 1972 from Olympia to Patra the flame went down many times because of the hot weather (46 degrees Celsius): the gas was getting out of capsule very quickly and burned down before time estimated. The organizers were obliged to use on Greek territory special torches with the pressure regulated. Another 20 torches were Reserve lamps to be used during the Torch Relay produced and Although the Olympic Games in Moscow were one of the highest priorities for the Communist Party of the USSR at that time to prove the rest of the world the advantages of the socialist system, there were a lot of obstacles for the designers on all stages of the development of their important task. The management of the factory was very sceptical about all work many times the local branch of the Communist Party at the factory was letting the designers to work in their communist office no other space was available for them. The heads of many departments were neglecting requirements to provide specialists to the working group. The delivery of many parts of the torches was delayed due to the fact, that the torch production was not planned in the totally planned economy and the unexpected breach of contract by the Japanese created additional problems to the Soviets. The special vans, provided by Riga Car Factory, had no air conditioning. During 5000 kilometres of touring from Olympia to Moscow, and especially on the first stage in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and delivered by air to Istanbul to be used till Moldavia (already on Soviet territory), the Bucharest. Only starting from the Romanian capital designers were suffering from extreme heat and the the normal torches were used. So, in 1972 the mixed smell of gas, food and burnt torches. They reserve lamps were used many times to keep the worked average 16 hours a day during first 30 days. flame alive. Their work was based on tremendous enthusiasm and trust in such humanistic thing as the Olympic Before May reserve lamps were designed, movement. tested and produced. They worked on kerosene not less than 5 days without additional fuel. 5 lamps end were used to keep the flame on the way from Note: see Material and memorabilia supply for the Olympia to Moscow. The flame from Moscow was torch relay of following page delivered to Tallinn, Leningrad, Minsk and Kiev, accompanied by two lamps to each destination. 28 JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY - MAY 2002

RAF 2907 - the special official torch relay vans designed and provided by Riga

average of 16 hours a day in extreme heat in the unairconditioned vans - here

designers of the Moscow torch, with lit torches on left and right Torch

6 RAF the special official torch relay vans designed and provided by Riga Car Factory Prototype design by engineer Valentin Ljubman The team worked an average of 16 hours a day in extreme heat in the unairconditioned vans - here they make final preparations of torches for the relay Group of engineers and designers of the Moscow torch, with lit torches on left and right Torch Lightening trials one day before the official opening ceremony JOURNAL Of OLYMPIC HISTORY - MAY

7 30 JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY - MAY 2002

Tour of the Holy Lands - Olympia (Part 1)

Tour of the Holy Lands - Olympia (Part 1) Here we are in Olympia - birthplace of the Olympic Games! It s also the sacred place of the king of the Greek gods, Zeus. Ancient Olympia isn t visible to us today