THE 2012 OLYMPICS flame will be taken on a loop all the way around outer London, it was announced today, but details of the final two days of the relay in the centre of town have been kept secret to safeguard the surprise element for the final countdown to the opening ceremony on 27 July.
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Highlights of the route around the suburbs include a hop over the Meridian Time Line in Greenwich on 21 July, the flame’s first day in London; a skip through Fairlop Country Park on 22 July and a jump over to Crystal Palace Park and the Wimbledon tennis stadium on 23 July, followed by a Kew Gardens on the 24th and Harrow on the 25th.
The start of the torch relay is on 19 May at Land’s End in Cornwall, after which 7,000 people while share flame carrying duties as the Olympic symbol makes its way around the country on an indirect route to London designed to show the country off to the world.
“Today we bring the Olympic torch relay to life,” said London Olympics chief Lord Sebastian Coe.
“The flame symbolises the Olympic spirit and its journey around the UK will bring the excitement of the Games to our streets.
“Now people know the route the Olympic flame will be carried along and the torchbearers for their community, they can start planning how they might celebrate.”
Though the exact route to be taken on the 26 and the 27, when the flame reaches the Olympic stadium in Stratford, has yet to be unveiled, we do know that boroughs such as Camden, Islington, Lambeth and Southwark will get a look in and that there’s a major ceremony featuring the flame planned in Westminster for the evening of the 26th.
Find out more details of the flame’s route here.
