Final Steps for Olympic Torch Relay

(ATR) The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Flame reaches the final day of the torch relay as it enters BC Place Stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the XXI Winter Olympic Games.

The 106-day torch relay marks the longest in Olympic history. By the time the flame reaches BC Place this evening, it will be carried by 12,000 torchbearers and been transported 26,000 km on land, 18,000 km by air and 1,000 km by water passing through more than 1,000 communities.

VANOC CEO John Furlong said, “We have a lot of tension in our stomachs just like you’d have before a big game. Vancouver has a smile on its face. We have all worked so hard to get to where we are today.”

This past week the torch reached Whistler and continued travel through the Metro Vancouver District including the cities of Richmond, North and West Vancouver.

Yesterday highlights include the torch relay arriving at its final destination and being welcomed in the city of Vancouver, host of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

The flame’s travel in Vancouver included a visit to city hall, the University of British Columbia and the Musquem First Nation, one of the Four Host First Nations.

At the B.C. Children’s Hospital, award-winning singer Jann Arden was a torchbearer. Other celebrity torchbearers in Vancouver included hockey player Richard Brodeur and Matt Lauer, host of NBC’s “The Today Show.”

“It’s emotional, I’m shaking. I mean, I’ve got goosebumps and I’m a guy who doesn’t get nervous for a lot of things. I don’t get overexcited by too much, but it’s going to be hard to sleep tonight”, Canadian singer Michael Buble' said after he carried the torch through a mob of fans.

Thousands gathered to welcome the Olympic Flame at LiveCity Yaletown.

“Everyone has been waiting so patiently for the torch to come home, and now we’re ready to host the Games,” Vancouver mayor Gregor Roberston said after Thursday night’s celebration.

Today, the Olympic Flame travels in and around Vancouver starting on the North Shore and crossing the Lions Gate Bridge.

Mobs gathered this morning at Stanley Park to watch State of California governor/actor Arnold Schwarzenegger pass the flame to LOGOG chair Seb Coe who said this is “a fantastic opportunity for Vancouver.”Both notable torchbearers were unable to run through the massive crowds and had to walk their portion of the relay.

The torch will then travel in and around downtown, Chinatown and East Vancouver before it makes its return through the Olympic Village and Granville Island on the final stretch to the opening ceremony at BC Place Stadium.

There is assumption the final day will be greeted with protests due to confrontations in other parts of the relay, including police holding back a demonstration yesterday at the University of British Columbia. Anti-Poverty activists plan to have homeless people camp in red tents along the route as the torch passes through the troubled Downtown Eastside.

The torch will be carried today by seven Olympians and many celebrities and notable figures including Sochi 2014 president Dmitry Chernyshenko, Terry Fox’s father, Rolly, and Wayne Gretzky’s father, Walter.

The final torchbearer that lights the cauldron at the opening ceremony still remains a mystery. The anticipation and speculation gains momentum as the minutes draw closer.

Three days after the Olympic Flame is extinguished, the flame signaling the start of the 10-day 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay will be lit in Ottawa. This will mark the first time Canada will host the Paralympic Winter Games.

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Written by Tristan Luciotti

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