After the Olympic Flame leaves Athens, Greece and is carried by air to Canada, a record-setting Olympic Torch Relay begins. According to relay organizers, it will be unique in three ways.
- It will be the longest torch relay in Olympic history – 45,000 kilometres within the boundaries of a single country.
- The Olympic Flame will visit over 1000 communities across Canada.
- An estimated 12,000 torchbearers are scheduled to carry the flame (with an additional 8,000 volunteers helping out)
The torch relay will depart from Victoria, BC, on October 30, 2009, criss-cross the country, and return on February 12, 2010 to BC Place in Vancouver where the Olympic Flame will be lit as part of the Opening Ceremony.
Significant Milestones of the 2010 Torch Relay
- Day 1: October 30, 2009 – Victoria, BC Start point of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay
- Day 6: November 4, 2009 – Old Crow, YT – Westernmost point of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay
- Day 10: November 8, 2009 – CFS Alert, NU – Canadian Forces Station and northernmost settlement in the world
- Day 15: November 13, 2009 – Cape Spear National Historic Site, NL – Most eastern point in North America
- Day 22: November 20, 2009 – Lunenburg, NS – Home of the Bluenose racing schooner and Anne of Green Gables House National Historic Site
- Day 34: December 2, 2009 – Old Quebec City, QC – UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Day 55: December 23, 2009 -Point Pelee, ON – National Park and Canada’s most southern point
- Day 81: January 18, 2010 -Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump, AB – UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Day 86: January 23, 2010 -Kootenay Pass, BC – Highest point for Olympic Flame at 1,770 Metres
- Day 106: February 12, 2010 -BC Place, Vancouver, BC – End point of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay and site of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremonies
Torch Relay Sponsors
The estimated $30 million CAD budget for the 2010 Winter Games Torch Relay comes from sponsorships, corporate partners, and the Canadian government.
- Coca-Cola, Presenting Partner for the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay
- Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Presenting Partner for the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay
- Government of Canada ($24.5 million contribution announced in March 2008, not all of which is for the torch relay)
- Bombardier, Signature Supporter and designer/manufacturer of the 2010 Olympic Torch
A 176-page full-color commemorative book about the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, A Path of Northern Lights/Un traînée d'aurores boréales, will be available from the Olympics store on a pre-order basis. The edition is due for release in March, 2010
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