IT HAS been confirmed that the Isle of Man will receive a visit of the Olympic flame in June at the start of TT Race Week.
The flame will make its journey around the Island on Saturday, June 2 and it is hoped that most of the route will be accessible to thousands of spectators who will want to be part of its journey around the Island, and who will want to celebrate and applaud the achievements of the torch bearers.
Torch bearers will carry the Olympic flame to more than 1,000 villages, towns and cities across Britain in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics and it has been confirmed that Douglas, Laxey, Onchan, Ballasalla and Castletown will be amongst them.
The Manx Electric Railway will be involved and the torch will be carried on a TT sidecar along a short stretch of the TT course before racing commences.
“It is wonderful news that the Isle of Man is included in the Olympic torch relay route,” said Tim Crookall, Minister for Community, Culture and Leisure. “Officers from my department have been assisting the team in planning the flame’s visit and it’s very pleasing that they have created a route that will showcase some of our unique Island.
“It is going to be a highlight of the summer for residents and the thousands of TT fans we expect will also be here next June and I am very much looking forward to it.”
Details of the Isle of Man relay route were announced today by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) through which the Olympic flame will be carried by torch bearers during the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, which is presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung.
LOCOG has worked closely with representatives from the Isle of Man to finalise the route and other details will be confirmed next year as we aim to build further excitement and anticipation much closer to the time of the torch relay.
Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said, “We are thrilled to confirm that the Olympic flame will be visiting the Isle of Man as part of its journey. We have worked hard to devise a route that achieves the optimum mix of proximity to people whilst taking in diversity of the Island’s landscape and landmarks.
“I want to encourage people across the Isle of Man to start planning how they can be part of this once in a lifetime opportunity and show their support for the inspirational torch bearers chosen to carry the Olympic flame as we count down to the start of the Olympic Games.’
The 70-day Olympic Torch Relay will start at Land’s End, Cornwall, on the morning of May 19. On leaving Land’s End, the Olympic flame will travel an estimated 8,000 miles around the UK giving thousands of communities and individuals their moment to shine as the flame comes to a place near them.
In announcing the villages, towns and cities and some of the landmarks and alternative modes of transport the flame will take as part of its journey, LOCOG has realised the aspiration of taking the Olympic flame to within an hour’s journey time of 95% of the population. In fact, over 95% of the population will be within just 10 miles of the Olympic flame next summer. The street by street detail of the route will be confirmed next year.
The interactive map can be viewed at www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelaymap to find the nearest community through which the Olympic flame will be carried.
On the final day of the Olympic Torch Relay, it is LOCOG’s intention that the Olympic Flame will travel down the River Thames as it makes its way to the Olympic Stadium on July 27 for the lighting of the cauldron at the opening ceremony, signifying the official start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
For logistical reasons, not all the landmarks will be accessible to large crowds, but LOCOG have worked with the local areas to ensure that there is as much public access as possible.
The Olympic flame will be carried across the UK by 8,000 inspirational torchbearers each of whom will have a story of personal achievement and/or contribution to the local community. In December this year, successful nominees will be contacted with a conditional offer and final torch bearer places will start to be confirmed from February 2012 onwards.
Today, LOCOG launches two new public participation programmes. The ‘Local Leaders’ initiative is an invitation to people to take the 2012 Games into their community and create their own celebrations next year, for the Olympic Torch Relay and other key moments during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
People are encouraged to sign up to the Local Leader programme at www.london2012.com/localleaders to receive further information on a range of themed celebration ideas focusing on the Opening Ceremony evening, gardening, quizzes and barbecues and be in the front row to receive free London 2012 event materials to support events.
Also launched today is the ‘Get Set for the Olympic Torch Relay’ education resource, available to all schools registered with Get Set, London 2012’s official education programme.
The aim of the resource is to provide schools with cross-curricular resources aimed at teachers working with 3 to 16 year olds to aid learning around history of Olympic torch relays, the design of the London 2012 Olympic torch relay and the torch itself. A further education resource will launch next year to encourage schools to plan a welcome for the Olympic flame and show support for the torch bearers.
Lloyds TSB, official education partner of the London 2012 Olympic torch relay, have launched their Flame Followers schools programme which complements the Get Set resources, and gives schools once-in-a-lifetime opportunities be right at the heart of the excitement and celebrations of the relay.
