Thousands of everyday Canadians are lacing up their running shoes and practising for their moment in the spotlight as official torchbearers in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.
Quite a few residents from Wellington County will be sharing that spotlight.
Three stops
While many communities can be justifiably proud of the Olympic torch coming through town, the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay Route heads through Wellington County three times on Dec. 28.
Torch crews will pass through on the travels from Kitchener to Guelph in time for an early morning run in Guelph.
Arthur resident John Braby will be a participant in that run.
Next, it is off to Erin for a community run through town.
The torch then leaves Wellington for stops in Alton, Orangeville, and Shelburne, before coming back for a quick run through Mount Forest.
Although the run heads north to Durham, where Fergus resident Kim Zinger will be running, residents of Wellington North will be having a celebration of their own at the Mount Forest Sportsplex with an afternoon of activities.
Times, locations
Although the Vancouver Olympic website www.vancouver2010.com does provide detailed maps of torch runs in various communities along the route, those maps are posted only at a set point prior to the run.
Because of the deadline for Inside Wellington, maps for the runs in Guelph, Erin, and Mount Forest were not available – but they should be available by Dec. 18. on the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay website www.vancouver2010.com/torchrelay.
Selection process
About 70 per cent (8,500) of 12,000 positions for torch bearers, were available to the general public. Many of those were awarded through contests by Coca-Cola and RBC, and supported by the government of Canada.
Approximately 12,000 people from coast to coast to coast will run, walk, paddle, wheel, sail, and even fly when their turn comes during the history making 106-day, 45,000-kilometre journey across Canada, that started in Victoria, with the Olympic Flame’s arrival from Greece.
In November 2008, when the 1,030 communities along the torch route were announced, two complementary initiatives started to allocate a total of 8,500 public torchbearer spots.
The first was application programs run by Coca-Cola and RBC in partnership with the Vancouver organizing committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). Canadians applied from every corner of the country by submitting details on how they will commit to live more active lives, or are inspired to create a better Canada.
The second initiative was the awarding of the remainder of the 8,500 public spots through other programs, such as the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay Aboriginal program and the nearly 200 relay route celebration communities who have selected local torchbearers to carry the flame as part of their community celebrations.
In addition to the public torchbearer programs, which will see an unprecedented number of people selected, approximately 30 per cent of the total torchbearer positions were allocated to groups, such as Canada’s national winter sport organizations, the Canadian Olympic committee, and VANOC’s 60-plus Olympic Games sponsors, who are critical to the success of the relay and the 2010 Winter Games.
A small number of positions have also been awarded to well-known Canadian and international figures who embody the Olympic Spirit and have made Canadians proud through their inspirational accomplishments or are Canadians that have gained international acclaim. Torchbearers will carry the flame contained in the curved metre-long winter white torch, designed and manufactured by Bombardier, while wearing keepsake uniforms created by the Hudson’s Bay Company.
About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from Feb. 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.
