With 100 days to go until the opening ceremony in Paris, the Olympic flame has been lit, continuing a tradition that began in Amsterdam in 1928.

Dutch architect Jan Wils was the man who revived the idea of the flame, which harks back to the sacred fire that burned during the ancient Olympic games in Athens.

Wils designed the stadium for the 1928 Games, including the 40-metre high Marathon Tower. He wanted the flame to burn at the top of the tower so that people could see for miles around that the event was taking place.

Wils was awarded an Olympic gold medal for architecture for his efforts, in the days when medals were awarded for achievements in the arts, including literature, sculpture and painting.

He intended the tower with its burning flame to rival Amsterdam’s church spires in the otherwise low-rise skyline. Many Christian politicians opposed staging the Olympics in the city, regarding it as a heathen event.

The lighting of the flame in Athens also marks the first stage of the torch relay, but that component was added by the Nazis for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

After being lit on April 16, the flame was passed to Greek rower Stefanos Douskos, who won gold in the single sculls in Tokyo four years ago. The second leg is being run by French former swimmer Laure Manadou.

The flame will arrive in Marseille by ship on May 8, where the relay route will continue through France, including French overseas territories such as Guyana and Martinique.

After arriving in Paris for Bastille Day, July 14, it will go on a tour of the metropolitan area before being conveyed to the stadium for the opening ceremony on July 26.