print


Last Friday the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) held a dress rehearsal for the Olympic Torch Relay. Around 400 people tested the operational elements that are part of the Relay, including the crew, vehicle convoy as well as the communications aspect. The torch was not lit for this test run and was carried by 122 students and participants. The rehearsal was also a chance for the host communities to experience how the Relay will look like in advance of the official run. The test was held between Leicester and Peterborough which is part of the official route for the Torch Relay which starts on 19 May. The stretch was chosen as it includes both rural and city locations and makes use of alternative modes of transport as well as the normal convoy and Torchbearers. It also tested every aspect of the relay on this stretch. A typical day on the Relay will include a team of approximately 370 people (incl. host police forces, local authorities, Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners (Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung) as well as the LOCOG team, and many more). Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: 'The dress rehearsal is a great opportunity to test all parts of the Olympic Torch Relay. I would like to thank the host Local Authorities and Police Forces for working with us on this rehearsal. Tests are essential to ensure the smooth running of our operations around the Torch Relay. When all the final elements are added for the Relay itself the excitement will really build for the start of the London 2012 Games and the UK will get its moment to shine.' Vice President & Head of Global Sports Marketing, Samsung Electronics, Mr. Sunny Hwang, added: 'Today is about fine tuning the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay logistics. The dress rehearsal marks nearly two years of creative and logistics planning by Samsung with LOCOG, so as a Presenting Partner this is a tremendously important milestone in our London 2012 journey. This is a very exciting time for everyone and we look forward to welcoming all our Olympic Torchbearers and Olympic fans from across the UK and around world. I believe this will be the very best Olympic Torch Relay in the history of the modern Olympic movement and we're extremely proud to be playing our part in making it happen. The Olympic Torch Relay will start on 19 May at Lands End and will travel around 8,000 miles around the UK, coming within 10 miles of 95% of the population.

London 1908 Olympic Summer Games
Tweet Share