Twenty-one years ago on July 19, 1996, former World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic torch during the Opening Ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Ali, who won a gold medal in boxing at the 1960 Olympic Games, lit the Olympic Torch tower after he was given the flame by Olympic swimmer Janet Evans.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Georgia Southern Eagle Nation Fund donors were treated to an intimate acoustic concert, In the Round, on Nov. 14, 2025 at the Nessmith-Lane Conference Center. (AJ Henderson/Georgia Southern Athletics)

Credit: AJ Henderson / Georgia Southern

Featured

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., arrives to a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP