The London 2012 Olympic torch relay will start its UK tour on the 19 May 2012 and will finish at the Olympic Park on 27 July, ready for the games to begin. The torch will visit 1018 places during the tour and will be carried by 8000 torchbearers, covering 8000 miles.
During the 70 day tour, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) believe that around 95 per cent of the population will come in to contact with the torch. Speaking of the torch’s journey, Lord Sebastian Coe, LOCOG Chairman, expressed: “We originally started out by saying 95% of the population would be within an hour’s journey of the route – we now have that as within 10 miles. We’ve got to get the torch to as many communities as possible.”
“Now everyone is invited to plan their welcome and find out where they can go to be part of this historic occasion,” Lord Coe added.
During the tour, the torch will visit many famous commercial properties, and landscapes including:
Speaking of the torch’s plans to visit the famous landmarks, Alun Gruffydd, from the Snowdonia National Park Authority, has shown his enthusiasm towards the torch’s visit on 29 May: “The Snowdonia landscape is here for everybody to enjoy.”
Peter Carson, Head of Stonehenge, expressed his delight for the torch’s visit on 12 July, as the site played a crucial part during the biffing for the games: “We’re delighted that having been part of this for the past seven years, the torch will come and visit us.”
Speaking of the torchbearers, Lord Coe, stated: “Fifty per cent of the torchbearers will be aged between 12 and 24. We are going to focus on young people, it is a young people’s torch.”
Many people hope the Olympic torch tour will help boost tourism around the UK, as Mr Gruffydd, from the Snowdonia National Park Authority, expressed: “It is hoped that the 2012 Olympics will inspire people to keep active and experience our breathtaking countryside.” The positive and negative impacts of the torch tour will not be visible for sometime, so like us we will have to wait and see if the torch trip does in fact boost tourism and the economy as a whole.
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