London 2012 Chief Hails "Sensational" Crowds for Olympic Torch Relay

(ATR) London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton tells Around the Rings that the crowds for the first stages of the Olympic torch relay have been "absolutely sensational".

Day one of the relay from Land's End to Plymouth went without any major glitches, although at one point police officers protecting the Olympic flame had to tackle one man they suspected of trying to reach a torchbearer.

On Sunday, the torch set off on its way from Plymouth to Exeter; it's a 142km journey and involves 121 torchbearers.

Asked if everything was going according to plan, Deighton told ATR: "Our plan really was to say to the people of Cornwall ‘here is the torch, here are the inspirational torchbearers that have been chosen by you as local representatives; make of it what you will’ – and you’ve seen the results for yourself the crowds have been absolutely sensational.

"So it’s worked exactly as we would have hoped, it’s worked because the people here have chosen it to work.

He added: "We’ve just laid it out, but also over the years we’ve done lots of work in these communities with schools and inspire projects which have used the torch as their thread to demonstrate the work that they’ve been doing – so there is some background to this which helps them get ready for it."

The Olympic torch was delayed by more than 30 minutes coming into Truro, the first city on the route, on day one of the relay.

Deighton admitted there would be further delays throughout the 70 days.

"When you’re dealing with an open event on the road and that number of people there will be delays from time to time. We built an adjustment period so we can catch up. As we were going through Truro we said, ‘blame those people in Falmouth not us!’," he joked.

Deighton is part of the Olympic torch relay delegation heading to Exeter today. On Monday, it's back to work in London.

"We’ve got to get the rest of the Games ready," he said, adding that he would be heading to Quebec City for the SportAccord convention on Wednesday.

He will join LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe in updating the conference on London's Olympic preparations. There may be a reference or two to Chelsea in his speech. Last night Coe was celebrating Chelsea's penalty-shootout win against Bayern Munich in Munich. He's expected to return home today.

Deighton said the LOCOG's teams were "getting on with finishing the venues – there’s lots of temporary venues to be built and lots of work with our workforces that we still have to get them all trained, uniformed, accredited and on the go."

He told ATR that Games branding will go up around London after the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in early June. "Makes a lot of sense. We’re good like that, we’re very sensible," he said.

Deighton on Torch Relay Security Concerns

Speaking shortly after three-time Olympic sailing gold medalist Ben Ainslie had kick-started the torch relay in Land's End on Saturday, Deighton assured reporters he had no major concerns about torch security along the 12,000km U.K.-wide route.

"You keep asking me whether I’m worried about this or worried about that I’m actually – famous last words – profoundly confident in the torch and its magic and the way thatpeople want to celebrate the games, that through these 70 days we’ll see some magic in our local communities," he said.

Deighton summed up the relay as the culmination of all of LOCOG’S endeavors since London won its bid to host the Olympics back in 2005.

"For me this is when the Games begin, when they go operational," he said.

"We’ve been planning this for nearly seven years - this is the culmination of an enormous amount of work. What’s gone into the torch relay is incredible; the process to pick the torchbearers the design of the torch, the logistics of all the arrangements, all the things you’re going to see celebrated."

Questions about security issues have arisen amid concerns about demonstrations expected along the relay route. Protests have been made at various LOCOG events and the Cambridge v Oxford boat race was interrupted earlier this year because of a protestor swimming in the River Thames.

Deighton admitted there could be attempted disruptions of the relay.

"Regarding security, one of the advantages of the torch is that it keeps moving," he said. "In some respects it’s easier to deal with demonstrators in that you keep on going."

"It’s easier to ambush something that takes place at a certain place at a certain time. Our general intelligence tells us to perhaps expect demonstrations but there is no significant intelligence."

On the final day of the relay, the flame will travel down the River Thames to the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium where it will be used to light the cauldron in the July 27 opening ceremony.

Staffing the Olympic Torch Relay

A London 2012 official staffing the torch relay told ATR that she and her colleagues have been asked to work six-week shifts of the 70-day torch relay. With the torch heading to 1,019 villages, towns and cities on its 12,000km journey, staff are doing two or three weeks on, one week off.

A crew of some 350 people are working each day of the relay. This group includes LOCOG staff, the Metropolitan Police torch security team, presenting partners - Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung - host police forces and host local authorities.

The convoy traveling with the Olympic flame around the U.K. numbers 14 core vehicles, including a pilot car, torchbearer drop-off and pick-up shuttles, sponsors' trucks, a media vehicle, a command car and security vehicles.

Sponsors' Activity in Plymouth

Coca-Cola, Samsung and Lloyds TSB all had a presence on the Plymouth promenade at the end of day one of the torch relay. Their branded vehicles, parked up next to the beach, attracted swarms of people.

The torch relay's presenting partners were each running competitions for Olympic tickets and the chance for people to have their photo taken with an Olympic torch. Lloyds TSB offered the chance to win four tickets; Samsung ran a competition for 100 meter final tickets and invite people to check out their new Samsung Galaxy S3 phone. Coca-Cola reps were also dispensing free drinks and merchandise.

Reported by Mark Bisson and Christian Radnedge in Plymouth, England

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