Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay starting point, torch design, uniform and emblem revealed

Three days after the Olympic Flame is extinguished on the West Coast, a new flame will light in Canada’s national capital, Ottawa, sparking the official start and inspirational journey of the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay on March 3, 2010.

The 10-day relay, supported by the Government of Canada, will illuminate the extraordinary achievements of Paralympians and celebrate the endless possibilities of the human spirit. The 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay will start with a uniquely Canadian lighting ceremony in Ottawa and will involve approximately 600 torchbearers. The relay will visit several celebration sites before arriving at BC Place in Vancouver for the opening of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games on March 12.

The starting point announcement was made on June 25, 2009 in Vancouver by Gary Lunn, Minister of State (Sport). Sir Phillip Craven, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President, Premier Gordon Campbell, Mayor Gregor Robertson and John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were also in attendance.

“I have always been so very impressed by the athletes who participate in the Paralympic Games. They literally embody so many of the competitive values we assign to sportsmen and women in general,” said Jim Richards, director, torch relays. “They are an inspiration to us all, and to have them share their stories and join us throughout the Paralympic Torch Relay will help all of us become a little more resilient and better at surprising ourselves. Our goal is to create a relay that gathers people in the communities to truly celebrate the possible.”

Paralympic Torch and Uniform

Para-Alpine Skier, Lauren Woolstencroft and retired Para-Alpine Skier, Brad Lennea lighting their torches Two Paralympians were also on hand to celebrate the event. Brad Lennea of Whistler, BC, a retired member of Canada’s Para-Alpine Ski Team and a torchbearer in Beijing, was joined by a fellow skier Karolina Wisniewska of Vancouver, BC to reveal the distinctive steel blue torch and uniform.

The one-metre-long torch, designed and manufactured by Bombardier, was inspired by the Canadian winter landscape and the lines left on ice by winter sports. The torch also features the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games emblem, a red maple leaf air intake cut-out and an engraving of the Games motto With Glowing Hearts/Des plus brillants exploits.

Designed and produced by the Hudson’s Bay Company, the Paralympic torchbearer uniform is also steel blue and accented with bright bursts of blue and green on the jacket’s left arm. It also features the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay emblem on the chest and the agitos on the back. The red, green and blue agitos are the Paralympic symbol and represent the IPC’s role in bringing athletes from all corners of the world together and enabling them to compete. The uniform consists of a jacket, pullover pants, toque and knitted red mittens.

Emblem

For the first time in its 22-year history, the Paralympic Torch Relay has its own unique emblem, distinct from the Olympic Torch Relay emblem. The 2010 Paralympic emblem, “Spark Becomes Flame,” is a metaphor for the fire within each and every one of us — the fire of friendship, inspiration and the spirit of the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay. The emblem symbolizes the moment when imaginations are ignited and dreams are born. Its design was created by an in-house team at the Organizing Committee.

Over 1,300 athletes and officials from more than 40 countries will take part in five sports (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey, wheelchair curling and biathlon) during the 10 days of competition at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler next March. Tickets for all Paralympic events are now on sale at vancouver2010.com.