The Olympic flame was formally passed to London at a ceremony in Athens Thursday, attended by former England football captain David Beckham who was joined by London 2012 head Lord Coe, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Princess Anne.
Spyros Capralos, President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, handed the flame to Princess Anne at the Panathenaic Stadium, host of the first modern Games in 1896.
Lord Coe said, “for the past eight days our two countries have connected in a very special way, in the spirit of peace and friendship of the flame and the values of this great Olympic movement”.
He called the handover “an occasion of international significance and importance”. He said, “like the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the flame belongs to the world and the arrival of the flame in the host nation is a resounding and clarion call to the best athletes of their generation in more than 200 nations and territories preparing to gather for the London 2012 Games”.
After spending the night at the British embassy in Athens, the flame will be flown to the UK Friday evening. Saturday morning will begin the start of an 8,000-mile journey around the UK from Land’s End, and the flame will be carried by 8,000 torchbearers as part of a 70-day relay, ending at the Olympic Park.
The flame will then be used to light the cauldron in Stratford’s Olympic Stadium on July 27 at the London 2012 Opening Ceremony.
