|
Organizers of the 2012 London Olympics unveiled plans Wednesday for a 70-day torch relay leading up to the Games, now barely two years away.
The Olympic flame will arrive in Britain on May 18, 2012 and tour the country before reaching London on the weekend before the Games begin in the British capital, said 2012 organizing committee chief Seb Coe.
Some 8,000 mostly young people are expected to be chosen to carry the torch around Britain. The aim will be that 95 percent of Britons will be within an hour of the flame's route.
"We will be working closely with villages, towns and cities the length and breadth of the UK to ensure that, as each community welcomes the Olympic flame, they do so in a way that is unique and special to their area," Coe said.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "The Olympic flame is the most recognizable symbol of the modern Games and has an awesome history tracing back to ancient Greece.
"Its arrival on our shores in May 2012 marks not only the start of the London torch relay, but arguably the start of the most important three months in the capital's recent history."
Detailed plans for the route are expected to be announced next year.
|
