Finally , the Torch is brought into the stadium , passed from athlete to athlete during the torch relay , until it reaches the last carrier ; often a well-known athlete from the host nation , who lights the fire in the stadium 's cauldron . Under IOC rules , the lighting of the Olympic cauldron must be witnessed by those attending the opening ceremony , implying that it must be lit at the location where the ceremony is taking place . Another IOC rule states that the cauldron should be witnessed outside by the entire residents of the entire host city . This was made evident during the opening ceremony for the 2010 Games in Vancouver . The venue chosen as the Olympic Stadium was BC Place , which at the time was an air-supported domed stadium . Since there was no way the cauldron could be displayed outside and also be seen at the stadium , two cauldrons were used . For the first torch lighting inside the stadium the organizers chose three-time speed skating medalist Catriona Le May Doan , Canadian Senator Nancy Greene , who won two medals for Canada at the 1968 Games , NBA star Steve Nash , a native of nearby Victoria , and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky , to each light one of four arms of the torch . Notably , Le May Doan 's arm failed to rise ; this was later rectified during the closing ceremony when she got a second chance to light her part of the torch and succeeded
opening ceremony for the 2010 Games
2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony
Olympic Games ceremony