© 2026 WBAA
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WBAA's HD Radio channels will be off-air while a critical piece of equipment undergoes repairs. This will not impact WBAA News or WBAA Classical FM, AM 920 or the live stream of all channels. We are still awaiting repairs to this equipment. Thank you for your patience during this process.

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

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom
Published February 18, 2026 at 11:55 AM EST
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)
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.

Copyright 2026 WBUR
Here & Now Newsroom