London 2012The Torch

Route Design and Details

After the lighting ceremony in Olympia, the flame embarked on an eight-day journey across Greece, travelling to Crete and the north of the country via Thessaloniki, Xanthi and Larissa, before arriving on 17 May in Athens to be officially handed over to the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games in London.

The flame then flew to the United Kingdom, where it arrived on 18 May. The British relay began the following day in Land’s End in Cornwall, with Ben Ainslie, triple Olympic champion in sailing from Britain as the first runner. The relay route was designed so that 95 per cent of the population of the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey would be a maximum of one hour from the route travelled by the flame. The flame stopped off in Much Wenlock, Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, the White Cliffs of Dover, Orkney and the Channel Islands.

On 21 July, the flame entered the city of London in spectacular fashion. Indeed, it was flown in by a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter. Hovering 20m above Tower Wharf, a Royal Marine Commando abseiled from the helicopter, carrying the flame in a lantern attached to him. The flame then travelled some 300km over the week in the British capital and was carried by 982 torchbearers, passing by the city’s most famous monuments.

On the day of the Opening Ceremony, the flame was transported from Tower Bridge to the Stadium by speedboat, carried by footballer David Beckham and young female footballer Jade Bailey. They passed the flame on to Steve Redgrave, a five-time Olympic gold medallist in rowing. Then, in order to symbolise the passing of the Olympic flame to the young generation, seven young athletes aged 16 to 19 had the honour of lighting the cauldron.

Map of the Route

Facts and Figures

Start date: 10 May 2012, Olympia (Greece)

End date: 27 July 2012, Olympic Stadium, London (United Kingdom)

First torchbearer: Spyridon “Spyros” Gianniotis, Olympic participant in aquatics (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012)

Last torchbearers: Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt, Desiree Henry, Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds and Adelle Tracey

Number of torchbearers: ~500 in Greece, 8,000 in the United Kingdom

Recruitment of torchbearers: The torchbearers were chosen in a public selection procedure launched by the Organising Committee and the relay’s partners, Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung.

Distance: 15,775km: 2,900km in Greece, 12,875km (8,000 miles) in the United Kingdom

Countries visited: Greece, United Kingdom and Ireland

Torch Details

Description: The triangular shape of the torch refers to the multiples of three found in the Olympic Movement’s values of excellence, friendship and respect, the Olympic motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, and London’s hosting of the Games for a third time. The torch is made from two envelopes of aluminium alloy. It is perforated by 8,000 circles in reference to the 8,000 torchbearers and the 8,000 miles of the relay in the United Kingdom.

Colour: Gold

Height: 80cm

Composition: Metal, aluminium

Fuel: Mixture of propane and butane

Designer / Manufacturer: Edward Barber, Jay Osgerby / The Premier Group (TPG), Tecosim

Did You Know?

The cauldron, measuring 8.5 metres high, was made in the form of a flower made from copper petals. Each of these petals, brought in by a participating nation, was meant to bloom during the Games. After the Games, a petal was given to each participating country as a souvenir of the sporting achievements of their athletes. On the petal, the name of the country was engraved.

At a ceremony at London’s Design Museum, the torch won the Design of the Year award.