by Kassandra Garcia

Created on: November 12, 2009

The Olympic Torch is the flame that represents peace, enlightenment and brotherhood. It symbolized the history of the Olympic games in ancient Olympia, Greece. The torch relay was how the Greeks announced the games by running through the towns carrying a torch to declair a truce for the games. The truce was a sacred and to be upheld through out the games. Today, the torch is still carried through cities, towns and communities to announce the Olympic Games.

The first time the torch was introduced into the Winter Games was in 1952 in Oslo, Norway. This year we will see the Olympic torch travel throughout Canada and makes it's way to Vancouver, British Columbia.

To fuel the torch, a blend of isobutane, propane and hydrocarbons is used. Each torch in the relay burns for 12 to 15 minutes and they weigh 3.5 pounds.

This year's Olympic games torch was designed by Bambardier and the Vancouver Orgainzing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). The relay is 45,000 kilometre with 12,000 torchbearers. The

The amazing part of the torch relay in Canada is that it will pass through 1,037 communities and more then 90% of the entire population of the country will have a chance to view the relay in person.

The relay begins in with an ancient ritual of lighting the torch in Olympia, Greece. From there the torch travels through Greece to Athens. Once in Athens it is pasted to representative from the host country. The flame then boards a trans-Atlantic airplane to Canada. The relay in Canada begins in Victoria, British Columbia.

Canada now holds the title for longest Olympic Torch Relay to take place in a single country. The relay includes canoe, horse-drawn carriage, cross country skis, kayak, snowmobile, tractor, mountain bike, ferry, airplane, dog sled and even more. With Canada's vast landscape every mode of transportation is being used to ensure the torch arrives in Vancouver, British Columbia on time for Opening Ceremonies.

The torch relay can be watched online at the official Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at http://www.vancouver2010.com. While there you can view photos and the route of the relay. Each community involved has contributed their own peice to the torch relay and have made their mark in history. From Greece to Canada and thousands of people the journey of one flame can burn a hole in time and freeze the images in the timeline of the Olympics that began by Ancient Greeks.

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