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Vancouver 2010 Announces Torch Relay

Vancouver 2010 announced its torch relay Friday. The route will be the longest domestic torch relay in Olympic history, stretching over 45,000 km within Canada. When it ends the Olympic Flame will have been welcomed in more than 1,000 communities and passed within a one-hour drive of more than 90 per cent of the Canadian population.

The route will start in Victoria British Columbia on October 30, and end in Vancouver on February 12 where the torch will be used to light the Olympic Cauldron at the climax of the Opening Ceremonies.

The Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee said the goal was to include as many people as possible.

The route is more than double the 18,000 km torch relay that was held leading up to the 1988 Calgary Games.

Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said the torch “carries with it a message of peace and hope, transmitting the Olympic spirit to all who come out and celebrate its journey”.

During the journey the torch will travel 1,000 km by water, 18,000 km by air and 26,000 by land, reports CTV.

Canadians interested in becoming one of the 12,000 torchbearers can apply at rbc.com/carrythe torch, and icoke.ca.

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