Paralympic flame to be lit at Stoke Mandeville on Tuesday

12 years ago | Posted in: Sports | 593 Views

The head of the International Paralympic Committee, Sir Philip Craven, London organising committee chief Sebastian Coe and other dignitaries will be at Stoke Mandeville Stadium for the ceremony which begins at 6.30pm.
Joining them will be Eva Loeffler, whose father Ludwig Guttmann organised the first recognised sporting event for disabled athletes in 1948, giving birth to the Paralympic movement and the creation of the first official Games 12 years later.
The flame will be created out of four “national flames” that were kindled by scouts on the four highest peaks in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland last week.
After the lighting ceremony on Tuesday the flame will be carried overnight from the world-famous centre for spinal injuries 92 miles to the Olympic Stadium.
As with the Olympic torch relay, 580 of the country’s greatest servants and unsung heroes, including many of those who have championed disability sport, will have the honour of carrying the flame on its 24-hour overnight journey.

From Stoke Mandeville Stadium, which is a training ground for many of Great Britain’s Paralympians, the flame will pass through Weston Turville, Tring, Berkhamsted and Watford towards London during the early hours of the morning.
By 9am it will be nearing central London where it will cross the famous Abbey Road crossing, head through Lord’s Cricket Ground and London Zoo to Regent Street. It will then zigzag its way through Whitehall, Greenwich, Canary Wharf, and Hackney before finally reaching the Olympic Park just before 10pm.
Among the torchbearers will be 15 Paralympians – one from each of the summer Paralympic Games from 1960 through to 2012 – who have been brought together by the International Paralympic Committee.
Five Paralympians – Baroness Susan Masham, Caz Walton, Sally Haynes, Jane Blackburn and IPC president Sir Philip – who each competed in one of the first four Paralympic Games will act as the first team of torchbearers
Among the other flame carriers are Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson, one of the country’s most decorated Paralympians, and Michael Watson, the boxer who suffered a brain injury in a fight with Chris Eubank and has championed the Paralympic movement.
Sir Philip said: “We are delighted that a Paralympian from every single summer Paralympic Games is taking part in the torch relay. Bringing all these people together is an achievement in itself and it will be fantastic to see them all in action en route to the Opening Ceremony.
“The Torch Relay is a significant event in the staging of every Paralympic Games. With London 2012 it has extra significance as it will start from Stoke Mandeville, the spiritual birthplace of the Paralympic movement back in 1948.
“It is only right that we celebrate our rich and proud heritage by inviting Paralympians from every Games to take part in this historic relay. From 1960 through to 2008 I am sure all of them will have superb and inspiring stories on why they are a proud Paralympian.”

 

 

ref: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

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