2010 Winter Olympics torch relay

See also: List of people who have lit the Olympic Cauldron
Host cityVancouver, Canada
Countries visitedGreece, Canada, United States
See full route
Torch bearers12,000 approx.
Start dateOctober 30, 2009
End dateFebruary 12, 2010
Torch designerLeo Obstbaum
Olympic rings
Part of a series on
2010 Winter Olympics
The torch passing by Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador on November 13th, 2009.
The flame is passed in Moncton, New Brunswick, on November 23, 2009.
A closeup of the 2010 Olympic Torch.
Photo of one of the miniature displays used to show the flame during the community celebrations.

The 2010 Winter Olympics Torch Relay was a 106-day run, from October 30, 2009, until February 12, 2010, prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Plans for the relay were originally announced November 21, 2008, by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). Communities were initially informed in June 2008, but the locations were not announced for "security reasons".[1] Exact routes were later announced several weeks before the start of the torch relay.[1]

The torches used in the Olympic relay were designed by Leo Obstbaum (1969–2009), the late director of design for the 2010 Winter Games.[2]

There were an estimated 12,000 torchbearers, including notable Canadian celebrities such as Shania Twain, Simon Whitfield, Silken Lauman, Alexandre Despatie, Catriona Le May Doan and John Hayman and past and present NHL hockey stars including Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky, and the captains of the Vancouver Canucks teams that went to the Stanley Cup Finals, Trevor Linden (1994) and Stan Smyl (1982). In fact, many television personalities were selected as torchbearers for the relay, mainly from CTV's parent company, CTVglobemedia. Matt Lauer and American actor, bodybuilder, and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger were also torch bearers.[3]

On 22 October 2009 the Olympic Torch was lit during a ceremony held at the Ancient Olympia in Greece. Actress Maria Nafpliotou played the role of the High Priestess and ignited the flame using a parabolic mirror and the sun's ray. The first torch was carried by Olympic skier Vassilis Dimitriadis.[4]

Kept under close secrecy, the final Olympic Torchbearer turned out to be not one, but five final torchbearers. Rick Hansen brought it into BC Place Stadium, in turn lighting Catriona Le May Doan's torch, who lit Steve Nash's torch, and the flame continued to Nancy Greene and Wayne Gretzky. Three of the four torchbearers lit the indoor Olympic Cauldron; Le May Doan remained with her torch due to a malfunction causing only three of the four arms to be raised. Gretzky exited BC Place, with his torch still lit, and caught a ride on the back of a VANOC vehicle, to Coal Harbour, where he lit the outdoor Cauldron. This makes Gretzky the first person to light two official cauldrons in the same Olympics.

At the start of the closing ceremony, Le May Doan re-lit the indoor Cauldron after clown and mime Yves Dagenais "fixed" and "raised" the arm that malfunctioned in the opening ceremony.

  1. ^ a b Glynn, Douglas (22 November 2008). "Olympic Torch will pass through Midland in 2009". Midland Free Press. Midland, Ontario: Osprey Media. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
  2. ^ Wingrove, Josh (21 August 2009). "Vancouver Olympic designer dies at age 40". The Globe and Mail. CTV Television Network. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  3. ^ CBC Sports (15 September 2009). "Trevor Linden to run Olympic torch relay". CBCSports.ca. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  4. ^ Lee, Jeff (22 October 2009). "Olympic flame lit, begins journey to Vancouver for 2010 Games". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.