Cardiff will welcome the Olympic Torch on its tour around the United Kingdom ahead of next year’s Olympic Games in London next year.
The capital city has today been confirmed by the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) as a host city for an evening celebration event which will showcase the city’s culture and heritage on Friday May 25, 2012 as the Olympic Flame visits Wales in the countdown to the opening ceremony of the Games.
Cardiff is one of 66 evening celebration locations and six island visits across the UK confirmed today by the London 2012 Organising Committee. The evening events will offer thousands of people the opportunity to come together and get involved in celebrations and share in the Olympic spirit. As part of the events LOCOG and the presenting partners, Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung, will stage exciting entertainment shows where a cauldron will be lit from the Olympic Flame, marking the end of the day’s proceedings.
The Olympic Flame will arrive in the UK from Greece on Friday May 18, 2012 and the 70-day Torch Relay will start at Land’s End, Cornwall on the morning of the May 19, 2012. On leaving Land’s End, the Olympic Flame is expected to travel an estimated 8,000 miles across the UK, giving thousands of communities and individuals their moment to shine as the Olympic Flame comes to their doorstep.
The Olympic Flame will arrive at the Olympic Stadium on July 27, 2012 for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, signifying the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Leader of Cardiff Council, Rodney Berman said: “We are delighted that Cardiff has been confirmed as a host city on the Olympic Torch Relay Route which will give people from across the whole region an opportunity to be a part of the London 2012 Olympic celebrations.
“Cardiff has an important role to play in the 2012 Games as the very first event of the sporting showcase will kick off here with the opening of the football tournament at the Millennium Stadium. We are very proud to have that honour.
“It’s important that the whole country enters into the Olympic spirit and with this evening celebration event, we in Cardiff will be able to celebrate and parade our own sporting heritage to the rest of the nation. Seeing the Olympic Torch will be a once in a lifetime experience and its visit will add another accolade to Cardiff’s already rich sporting legacy.”
Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG said: “We are thrilled that Cardiff has agreed to host the Olympic Flame on its journey right across the UK. The Olympic Flame will shine a light right across Cardiff, celebrating the culture and heritage of the area and showcasing the very best of Cardiff. We have no doubt that the welcome Cardiff Council will provide will demonstrate how the spirit of the Olympic Games is reaching out across the UK and excitement builds as the start of the 2012 Games draws closer.”
The Olympic Flame will be carried across the UK by 8,000 inspirational Torchbearers and once the detailed daily route is confirmed later this year, it is the aim that 95 per cent of the population will be within a one-hour journey time of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.
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.
The LOCOG Torchbearer programme to find 2,012 inspirational people who have gone beyond their personal best will run for six weeks from today. The nomination portal at www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelay asks nominators for up to 150 words on why their nominee should carry the Olympic Flame. The deadline for nominating through the LOCOG campaign is 11.59pm on Wednesday 29 June 2011. Judging panels will be set up in each Nation and Region of the UK to select the Torchbearers for their area.
Ninety per cent of the 8,000 Torchbearer places will be made available to the public through a number of channels including the four public nomination campaigns to be run by LOCOG, Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung. Each of the 8,000 Torchbearers will have a story of achievement and or contribution to their local community.
In addition to the 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 on each day of the Relay.
