London 2012 Launches Olympic Torchbearer Nomination Program

(ATR) The search is underway for 8,000 volunteers to carry the Olympic Flame during London 2012's newly revealed torch relay, now just one year away.

"We are looking for incredible people to be a torch bearer," LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe said Wednesday morning as he opened the call for nominations.

"[People] must think hard before they nominate someone as running with the flame is a rare honor."

Nominators have until June 29 to submit up to 150 supporting words per nominee to LOCOG’s website for the occasion.Any citizen of the U.K. over the age of 12 is eligible to both nominate and be nominated. A single individual can put forth multiple names, including his or her own via a special mail-in form. Announcements of torchbearers are expected to begin in January.

British minister of sport Hugh Robinson, for one, already has a nominee in mind.

"I will nominate an injured soldier who I served with in Iraq," he said Wednesday during a press conference. "He was blown up and badly injured but now has a new job and family."

British boxer and current WBA world heavyweight champion David Haye also revealed his nomination plans during Wednesday’s launch.

"Some teachers don't understand troubled kids. I do. Many boxing coaches do," he told reporters.

"I nominate a great coach, Paddy Fitzpatrick, to be a torchbearer after he turned people's lives around for the better."

Only 2,012 of the 8,000 torchbearer spots are up for grabs via LOCOG’s so-called "Moment to Shine" campaign. The rest will be awarded by presenting partners Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung via separate nomination processes expected to open next month.

"We will help young people in the UK to celebrate sport, music and life by carrying the Olympic flame," said Northwest Europe & Nordics president for Coca-Cola James Quincey, whose call for candidates begins June 1.

"We have our own nomination process to find 74 young musicians to bear the torch through their communities."

Lloyds TSB is likewise narrowing a portion of its search to a specific demographic.

"Our campaign to find torchbearers will find people who have helped children to make a difference in the world," said Sally Hancock, group sponsorship director for the British bank.

Samsung, an Olympic TOP sponsor along with Coke, withheld mention of any nomination criteria during Wednesday’s announcement, instead focusing on the big picture.

"We try to be the best in our market of electronics," said Samsung head of worldwide sports marketing Gyehyun Kwon.

"We focus on giving the best results and equipment to young people, just like the London Olympics will do."

Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung will each help LOCOG to stage almost nightly concerts and other such celebrations along the 70-day journey unveiled earlier Wednesday by Coe and company.

Every corner of the U.K. is represented in the 74-stop route. Beginning on May 19 at Land’s End in the county of Cornwall, the torch will travel a total of 8,000 miles, including trips to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as six island visits.

LOCOG also confirmed the flame may make a short sojourn in Dublin. Additional stops around Britain will be revealed later this year.

The flame will travel for about 12 hours each day, ending 66 of the 70 days with an evening celebration event allowing thousands of people to enjoy shows put on by the presenting partners.

The torch relay arrives in London on July 21, making six stops before travelling to the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium for the lighting of the cauldron at the July 27 opening ceremony.

Written by Matthew Grayson with reporting in London by Neil O'Shea.