THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER — The Olympic flame will shine on every corner of Canada during an historic torch relay that will serve as the national rallying cry for the 2010 Winter Games.
The torch’s journey will begin in Victoria on Oct. 30, 2009 and when it ends 106 days later, Vancouver Olympic organizers will gain a place in the history books for the longest-ever domestic torch relay.
The route criss-crosses the country, starting up through B.C. to Canada’s North, across the Prairies and then back to the North, before heading to the Atlantic provinces.
From there, it will travel west again to finish in Vancouver and set ablaze the Olympic cauldron and mark the start of the Games on Feb. 12, 2010.
"The Olympic torch relay holds a unique place in people’s hearts," Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, said in a statement.
"It also carries with it a message of peace and hope, transmitting the Olympic spirit to all who come out and celebrate its journey."
Celebration events for the torch will be held in 200 communities and the torch will pass through more than 1,000 places.
It will go as far north as Alert, Nunavut, and as far south as Point Pelee, Ont.
It will visit the homes of fictional and real-life Canadian heroes and stop in the two other Canadian cities that have hosted an Olympics — Montreal and Calgary.
It will also spend time in all the provincial capitals and visit national parks, lighthouses and First Nations communities.
By the end, the torch will have travelled 45,000 kilometres by land, sea and air and come within an hour’s drive of 90 per cent of the Canadian population.
Twelve thousand Canadians will have the chance to run with the torch but organizers are hoping millions more will line the route to be a part of Canadian — and Olympic — history.
"Mapping out this route, we wanted to include as many Canadians as possible," John Furlong, the chief executive officer of the Vancouver organizing committee, said in a statement.
"It is our dream to unite this country and bring Canadians closer together to rediscover the many cultures and perspectives that make up our nation — to celebrate Canada.".
There had been speculation prior to the 2008 Beijing Games that the torch might make stops outside of Canada but that plan was scuttled, save for the official start of the relay in Olympia, Greece.
Each of the 200 communities hosting a celebration has known for months they’d been selected and all but a handful managed to keep the news quiet.
But by late Thursday, word started to leak with excited mayors and local officials announcing press conferences in connection with "major announcements" on Friday.
While organizers have said they hope the relay will bring all of Canada together, anti-Olympic opponents have pledged to use it to highlight some of their concerns around the Games the same way that protesters very successfully dogged the international legs of the Beijing torch relay.
Relay sponsors Coca-Cola and RBC will select the torch bearers.
Coke has already committed to choosing 1,000 teens who commit to active lifestyles as participants and RBC announced Friday they want would-be torch bearers to pledge to make a difference in their communities.
Winners will be selected by lottery next year, and details will be unveiled at that time about how the remaining spots will be allotted.
The budget for the torch relay is $31 million, with the lion’s share of the funding coming from the federal government.
"The Olympic Torch Relay is a tremendous opportunity to unite the country and make the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games Canada’s Games," Gary Lunn, minister of state for sport, said in a statement.
"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring together millions of Canadians, in every province and territory, as we celebrate and welcome the passing of the Olympic flame. As it makes its way across Canada, it will touch the soul of this great nation and inspire the world."
Some facts about the torch relay for the 2010 Winter Olympics
– Starting point: The Olympic flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece.
– First stop in Canada: Victoria, B.C. on Oct. 30, 2009.
– End point: Vancouver, B.C., on Feb. 12, 2010.
– Length of relay: 106 days.
– Distance to be travelled: 45,000 kilometres _ 1,000 kilometres by water, 18,000 kilometres in the air and 26,000 kilometres on land.
– Number of communities the torch will pass through: approximately 1,000.
– Number of communities that will host celebrations: 200.
– Notable stops: Alert, Nunavut, the world’s northernmost permanently inhabited community, Cape Spear near St. John’s, N.L., North America’s easternmost point.
– Number of torch bearers: 12,000.
– Torch design and construction: Bombardier Inc.
– Torch relay sponsors: RBC and Coca-Cola.
– Torch-bearer uniform design: HBC.
