Torch Relay
Lit in Greece, the Olympic Flame arrives in the UK on 18 May 2012. Representing peace, unity and friendship, the Flame will be carried by 8,000 inspirational Torchbearers during the Olympic Torch Relay. Torchbearers will carry the Flame through more than 1,000 cities, towns and villages in the UK. As it makes its way across the UK on a 70-day journey it will bring the excitement of the Games to everyone.
Over 95% of the population will be within just 10 miles of the Olympic Flame next summer. The street-by-street detail of the route will be confirmed next year. On the final day of the Olympic Torch Relay, it is LOCOG’s intention that the Olympic Flame will travel down the River Thames as it makes its way to the Olympic Stadium on 27 July 2012 for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, signifying the official start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The Torchbearers
The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) nominations process for Torchbearers ran from May to June 2011 and selection panels were held around the UK in the autumn. Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung also held their own nomination campaigns. Conditional offers have now been made to those with exceptional stories and places will be confirmed by March 2012.
Lighting the Flame
A very precise ritual for the lighting of the Flame is followed at every Games. It is lit from the sun's rays at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, in a traditional ceremony among the ruins of the home of the ancient Games. After a short relay around Greece, the Flame is handed over to the new Host City at another ceremony in the Panathenaiko stadium in Athens. The Flame is then delivered to the Host Country, where it is transferred from one Torchbearer to another, spreading the message of peace, unity and friendship. It ends its journey as the last Torchbearer lights the cauldron at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in the Olympic Stadium, marking the official start of the Games. The Flame is extinguished on the final day of the Games, at the Closing Ceremony.
Designing the Torch
The London 2012 Olympic Torch features 8,000 small cut-out circles, representing the 8,000 inspirational people who will carry it on its journey around the UK. The Torch was designed by east Londoners Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, who won the opportunity through a competitive tender run by the London 2012 Organising Committee and the Design Council.
More than half of the London 2012 Torchbearers are expected to be young people aged as young as 12, so the designers aimed to make the Torch as light as possible. It is made from an special aluminium alloy developed for the aerospace and automotive industry. The alloy is lightweight but strong, with excellent heat resistance. The 8,000 circles also reduce the weight of the final design, whilst ensuring strength isn’t compromised. The Torch weighs 800 grams.
The gold colour embraces the qualities of the Olympic Flame – the brightness and the warmth of the light that it shines.
