London 2012: Paralympic Flame to visit iconic locations

Sarah Shaffi, Olympics editor (news) Tuesday, July 10, 2012
8:31 AM

The Paralympic Flame will visit iconic locations and stop at venues in the host boroughs during its 24-hour Torch relay.

The route the Torch will take through London was announced this week to coincide with todays milestone of 50 days to go until the start of the Paralympic Games.

The official Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony will take place at Stoke Mandeville Stadium on August 28. Four flames from London, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh will be united to form the Paralympic Flame, which will then be taken on a 24-hour overnight relay to the Paralympic opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium on August 29.

During the relay the Flame will be taken to Canary Wharf in Tower Hamlets, Barking Park in Barking, Stratford Park in Newham and London Fields Lido in Hackney.

It will also go to Willesden Sports Centre in Brent and visit Barnet, Harrow, Lewisham, Southwark and Greenwich.

The 24-hour relay, presented by BT, Lloyds TSB and Sainsburys, will see the Paralympic Flame carried 87 miles by 580 inspirational torchbearers, who will work in teams of five, from Stoke Mandeville to London.

Seb Coe, chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said: "I'm looking forward to crowds coming out to line the streets and cheer on the inspirational teams of torchbearers."

The Flame will visit iconic London venues as it passes down Regent Street from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus. It will go past Westminster Abbey and Downing Street, as well as Trafalgar Square, where there will be live entertainment and sport screened throughout the Paralympic Games.

The Flame will cross the Thames over some of London's most famous bridges including Lambeth Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and Tower Bridge, which will be displaying the symbol of the Paralympic Games, the Agitos.

Sir Philip Craven, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President, said: The announcement of the route for the Paralympic Torch relay is another step closer to the start of the Paralympic Games.

"I think it is fantastic that is starts at Stoke Mandeville, the spiritual birthplace of the movement, and am confident that the British pubic will turn out in force to support those taking part in the relay."

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