With one year to go until the Olympic Flame arrives in the UK, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) today reveals the dates and locations for the evening celebration events and island visits on the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay route. The announcement of these events and visits is the first stage in confirming the route the Olympic Flame will take around the UK.
A list of the first confirmed locations and maps are available for download here
A year today, the Olympic Flame will arrive in the UK from Greece and the 70 day Olympic Torch Relay which is presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung will start at Land’s End, Cornwall on the morning of 19 May 2012. On leaving Land’s End, the Olympic Flame is expected to travel an estimated 8,000 miles around the UK giving thousands of communities and individuals their moment to shine as the Olympic Flame comes to a place near them. The Olympic Flame will arrive at the Olympic Stadium on 27 July 2012 for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, signifying the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Images from a photocall to mark the announcement of Land’s End as the start point of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay will be available to download here from 11am today. B-roll footage from Land’s End will be made available on request.
The Olympic Flame will be carried across the UK by 8,000 inspirational Torchbearers and once the detailed route is confirmed later this year, it is estimated that 95% of the population will be within a one hour journey time of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.
Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: ‘The Olympic Flame will shine a light right across every Nation and Region of the UK and showcase the very best of who we are and where we live. The first locations on the route confirmed today give a flavour of the reach the Olympic Torch Relay will have around the UK and how extensive the opportunity for starting to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic Games will be.’
Over the past year LOCOG has worked with representatives from a number of sectors in each Nation and Region to devise this first phase of the route. In addition to the first 74 locations confirmed on the route today, many other cities, towns, villages and places of outstanding natural beauty, sports venues and community hubs will be announced in a second, more detailed route announcement later this year that will confirm the many other places the Olympic Flame will visit each day.
The Olympic Flame will travel for approximately 12 hours each day, concluding on 66 of the 70 days with an exciting early evening celebration event that will enable thousands of people each evening to enjoy a variety of entertainment and shows staged by LOCOG and the three Presenting Partners with the support of the host Local Authority. Each celebration event will differ with locally programmed content on the stage which will add to the celebratory atmosphere. Many thousands more people are expected to celebrate along the route each day.
Also confirmed today are 6 island visits to the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, Shetland, Orkney and the Isle of Lewis where a community led celebration to welcome the Olympic Flame will be held and Torchbearers will run in relay.
To find out more about the first places to be confirmed on the route go to www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelay
The London 2012 Olympic Torchbearer nomination programme launches today at 11am. Together with the three Presenting Partners – Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung, LOCOG is seeking 8,000 of the most inspirational people to have their moment to shine next summer by carrying the Olympic Flame. Full details of the LOCOG Torchbearer programme and how to nominate potential Torchbearers will be released from 11am today.
LOCOG also confirms today that the feasibility of taking the Olympic Flame on a short visit to Dublin is being explored with all the relevant parties.
Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: ‘The Olympic Torch Relay brings London 2012 to the doorsteps of the UK giving everybody the chance to celebrate the London Games. It’s a magnificent showcase for the country and a chance to mark the achievements of inspirational people in our communities.’
The three Presenting Partners of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – will help bring the Olympic Flame to the people of the UK. Together they provide an optimum mix of previous Olympic Torch Relay expertise and community based programmes to support the staging of the Relay.
James Quincey, President, Northwest Europe & Nordics, The Coca-Cola Company, said: ‘We’re extremely proud to be sponsoring the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay and know from firsthand experience how powerful it can be in inspiring local communities to get involved in the spirit of the world’s biggest festival of sport. We’ll be helping to spread the magic of London 2012 right across the UK, and we intend to shine a light on the best of British youth by giving them the chance to carry the Olympic Flame.’
Sally Hancock, Director, 2012 Partnership and Group Sponsorship at Lloyds TSB, said: ‘As the only National Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, Lloyds TSB is bringing the Olympic Flame closer to communities across the UK. We are inviting everybody to share the journey and nominate someone who has made a difference to their local community to carry the Olympic Flame. Schools and young people will have the chance to carry the Flame through National School Sport Week and our Local Heroes programme, and everybody is invited to celebrate the Relay with Lloyds TSB when it comes to their town in 2012.’
Mr. Gyehyun Kwon, Vice President & Head of Worldwide Sports Marketing, Samsung Electronics, said: ‘Samsung aims to share the excitement of the Torch Relay, while the Olympic Flame travels around the UK. We will make the most participative Torch Relay for London 2012, helping more people experience the exceptional sights and stories through our wireless technologies.’
LOCOG today also announces the following Supporting Partners of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay: Worldwide Olympic Partner Visa, Tier One Partners BMW, BT and EDF Energy, Tier Three Providers Aggreko and Holiday Inn. More details of their involvement in the staging of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay will be released over the coming year.
For more information, contact: www.london2012.com.
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