The Olympic Torch for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games was unveiled on February 12, 2009 at the mountain resort of Whistler, marking one year to go until the Games open, according to a media release of that date from the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC).
A pamphlet from the Olympic Museum, The Olympic Flame and Torch Relay, says that a sacred flame was kept burning during the ancient Olympics. Carl Diem introduced the traveling torch relay at the 1936 Berlin Games, and the tradition has continued since. The torch relay serves to herald the upcoming Olympic Games and to transmit a message of "peace and friendship amongst peoples."
Each Olympics torch features a design that reflects the culture of the host country. Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, said at the unveiling of the torch that "The Vancouver 2010 Torch design is like Canada – young, exciting, innovative, and welcoming to everyone who sees and holds it.”
Torch Design Constraints
The design team, which was composed of representatives from both VANOC and Bombardier, had numerous elements to consider when creating a torch to function in the Canadian winter.
The flame must
- pass easily from torch to torch during the relay exchange
- burn for 12 to 15 minutes
- be visible in all weather conditions
The torch itself needs to be
- handled by people age 13 and up
- carried in or fixed to alternative modes of transportation
- manufactured in high quantities (so that each Olympic Torch-bearer may purchase a torch as a commemorative keepsake)
Design Features of the 2010 Olympic Torch
The shape and color of the torch were chosen specifically to reflect the Canadian winter landscape, with other elements indicative of Canadian culture and heritage. Quotes are from various VANOC releases unless otherwise stated.
- The wavy shape is "inspired by both the lines carved into the snow by skiers schushing [sic] down mountains and the undulating beauty of the snowy Canadian landscape".
- The white color represents the Canadian winter landscape of snow and ice
- The large size "represents the vastness of the second largest country in the world and the limitless potential of its land and people."
- The Canadian maple leaf emblem is incorporated into the design of the air intake.
- Unique burner shape – the traditional burner is a cauldron or cup; the Canadian torch features a 30-centimeter-long vertical flame outlet intended to produce a flag-like flame.
- Games Motto – The Games motto "With glowing hearts/Des plus brilliants exploits" (from O Canada, the Canadian national anthem) is engraved opposite the burner
- Games Emblem – A contemporary interpretation of the inukshuk, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic emblem, is part of the Olympic Torch design.
Technical Features
A number of advanced technical features are incorporated into the torch. These were necessary to ensure that the flame would "weather the rugged journey of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay during the Canadian winter". The torch will have to operate in extremes of winter, from Alert, Nunavut (at 900 km from the North Pole, it's the most northerly inhabited place on the planet) to the balmier climes of Vancouver Island.
- Air Intake - An air intake will provide sufficient oxygen to ensure that the flame burns brightly. The intake is cut in the shape of a maple leaf, and a red backer was added so that the device resembles the Canadian flag (red maple leaf on white background).
- Redundant burner - A dual burner system will help ensure that the flame is not extinguished by wind, rain, or snow (this may be similar to the "pilot light" system used in previous torches but with modifications by Bombardier)
- Blended Fuel - Bombardier engineered the burner system and fuel to burn cleanly and well yet shine brightly in the anticipated weather conditions.
2010 Torch Specifications
- Length: 37-1/8 in., 94.5 cm
- Width: Varies
- Mass (with fuel): 3.5 lb/1.6 kg
- Construction: aluminum frame, SMC fiberglass shell
- Burner length: 30 cm
- Burner system: stainless steel, copper and brass
- Burn time: 12 minutes
- Operating temperature: -50°C to +40°C
- Weather resistance: expected to burn through rain, snow, sleet, and wind.
- Fuel: Propane and isobutane blend, with other unspecified hydrocarbons
- Number Produced: 12,000 (one for every carrier in the torch relay)
“Bombardier has a long history in Canada and we’re excited to play such an important role in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games,” said Pierre Beaudoin, Bombardier Chief Executive Officer. “By applying our ingenuity in aerospace and transportation to the Olympic Torch, we believe we have created a symbol worthy of the promise and power of the Olympic Flame."
The flame will be transferred from torch to torch some 12,000 times over the 45,000 kilometre 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.
Thomas Alan Gray - Tom has been writing for over 30 years; curiosity leads him to dig into a wide variety of topics.
