Nearly 30 years later, Muhammad Ali's courageous Olympic torch lighting still resonates

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published February 18, 2026 at 9:55 AM MST

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Olympic Torch from the
1996 Atlanta games signed by Muhammad
Ali. (Courtesy of the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture) — Olympic Torch from the 1996 Atlanta games signed by Muhammad Ali. (Courtesy of the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture)

Nearly 30 years ago, Muhammad Ali held a torch and lit a cauldron to kick off the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Damion Thomas, curator of sports for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, about why that moment was so emotional at the time and why it still resonates today.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.