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Olympic Flame now in Canadian Hands -

by albertacowpoke | October 29, 2009 at 10:26 am

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With just a few months to go before the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, the Vancouver Organizing Committee in the presence of Governor General Michelle Jean, was handed the Olympic flme at a ceremony at Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens today.

The Flame will now be flown to Victoria, BC, where it will be received with a ceremony of British Columbia natives. On conclusion of this ceremony the Flame will be taken to the British Columbia Legislature.

The long trek across the country will then commence until it is brought to the Opening Ceremonies.

The countdown to the Olympics has now definitely begun.

The Olympic flame is now in Canadian hands.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, including Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean, was entrusted with the flame at a ceremony at Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens on Thursday.

The final torchbearer in the Greek portion of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic torch relay was Nikki Georgiadis, a Greek-Canadian figure skater and an Olympic hopeful in ice dance.

Georgiadis brought the Olympic flame into the stadium, lit a cauldron in the centre of the stadium using a 2010 torch — itself lit from the rays of the sun in a ceremony last week in Olympia — before the Hellenic Olympic Committee handed it over to Canadian officials.

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Amy Judd

at 10:58 on October 29th, 2009

I wonder what they do with it on the plane -if it has its own seat or is specially stored somewhere?

albertacowpoke

at 11:00 on October 29th, 2009

Good question let me investigate:). I.m sure it has to be under security.

a211423

at 11:10 on October 29th, 2009

Here is how the flame travels on a plane.

The torch, which is fuelled by propane, is used to carry the flame during each day's relays, when runners in the relay city carry it, mostly on foot.

But there are several lanterns which are lit from the same source and they keep the flame alive at night or on aircraft when the torch is extinguished.

For air travel, where open flames are not allowed, the flame burns in the enclosed lanterns, which act like miner's lamps.

albertacowpoke

at 11:13 on October 29th, 2009

Thank you a211423

Amy Judd

at 12:29 on October 29th, 2009

Oh how interesting.

albertacowpoke

at 11:12 on October 29th, 2009

The flame is carried by relay all the way to its final destination. Although it is usually

carried by runners on foot, other modes of transport are also used.
For air transport, the flame is sheltered in a security lamp, similar to a miner’s lamp.
At night time, it burns in special cauldrons. All along its route, the flame heralds the
upcoming Olympic Games and transmits a message of peace and friendship amongst

peoples.