The flame for the Vancouver Olympics has bee lit in a traditional ceremony in Olympia, Greece. On Oct. 30 it will arrive at UVic, one of the first stops in the 106-day long Olympic Torch Relay across Canada.
The relay will cover 45,000 kilometers and will involve 12,000 torch bearers, culminating in the lighting of the cauldron at B.C. Place in Vancouver on Feb. 12 to mark the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
To celebrate the arrival of the torch, UVic is hosting “Olympic Torch Day,” a celebration of UVic’s tradition of excellence in athletics and of the Vikes’ representation at past Olympic Games.
The festivities will be held in parking lot 4 of Centennial Stadium on Friday, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
The torch is expected to arrive on campus via McGill Road around 5 p.m. It will continue around Ring Road to Henderson Road, where it will exit campus and head downtown to a subsequent torch ceremony on the lawn of the legislature.
The event will include a barbecue, where students and community members are invited to learn about campus sports clubs, including UVic Snow. UVic Snow will be setting up a mini mountain, including a 10-foot drop-in from scaffolding. The demonstration requires a fair amount of skill as a skier or snowboarder, so participation is by invitation only, but spectators are more than welcome to watch, said UVic Snow president Adrian White.
The barbecue will also provide students and community members with an opportunity to meet current and former UVic student athletes.
“The Olympic torch relay represents an opportunity for communities across Canada to share in the celebration of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games” said Clint Hamilton, UVic’s Athletics and Recreation Director. “We are fortunate that UVic is one of the first destinations of the 106-day tour, and [we] find it appropriate given the rich tradition of Vikes athletes’ participation in the Olympic Games.”
The Vikes have had tremendous representation at the Olympic Games. A total of 156 Vikes athletes, coaches and alumni have represented Canada at various Olympics throughout the years. Those representatives have won a total of 10 gold, six silver and five bronze medals. An additional 26 medals have been won by Vikes at the Paralympics. Mike Tucker, Vikes Athletics Communications Officer, says these numbers are unrivalled in Canadian university sports.
Mark Laidlaw was a member of the UVic rowing team from 2003 to 2007, and is currently training to compete at the 2010 London Olympics. He believes that, in addition to funding and a strong coaching staff, it is the Vikes’ consistent performance that distinguishes them.
“UVic teams have won 64 national championships and 95 Canada West championships so Canadian athletes know that UVic has successful teams they want to be a part of,” he said. “Good results are the best way to attract good athletes, so it becomes a cycle.”
Hamilton hopes that having UVic host the Torch will help perpetuate that cycle.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said. “The Olympics represents the highest level of sporting competition in the world. For our Vikes student athletes I hope that seeing the Torch in person, on our campus, will provide the inspiration to dream big and achieve their best. But, most of all, this is an opportunity to connect our communities through sport.”