Sport · 1900s

A Student Fooled Sydney With a Flaming-Underwear Olympic Torch

During the 1956 Olympic torch relay, Sydney University students built a fake torch from a chair leg, a metal tin and kerosene-soaked underwear. Barry Larkin ended up carrying it through a huge Sydney crowd — with police escort — and handed it to the Lord Mayor before anyone realised the hoax. #OlympicHistory #SydneyHistory #AustraliaHistory #Olympics #WhoCaresHistory

About this episode

The strange part—without losing the facts.

During the 1956 Olympic torch relay, Sydney University students built a fake torch from a chair leg, a metal tin and kerosene-soaked underwear. Barry Larkin ended up carrying it through a huge Sydney crowd — with police escort — and handed it to the Lord Mayor before anyone realised the hoax. #OlympicHistory #SydneyHistory #AustraliaHistory #Olympics #WhoCaresHistory

During the 1956 Olympic torch relay, Sydney University students built a fake torch from a chair leg, a metal tin and kerosene-soaked underwear. Barry Larkin ended up carrying it through a huge Sydney crowd — with police escort — and handed it to the Lord Mayor before anyone realised the hoax. #OlympicHistory #SydneyHistory #AustraliaHistory #Olympics #WhoCaresHistory

For corrections or a source query, use the private story request form.

Evidence trail

Sources and further reading

Links are drawn from the researched episode record and its published description.

  1. YouTube episode and full video descriptionyoutube.com