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London torch relay to start where the land ends
Updated: 2011-05-20 14:41
(Agencies)
LONDON - The rugged Cornish coast will be the first part of Britain to host the London 2012 Olympics torch next year after organisers named Land's End as the starting point of an 8,000 mile journey around the United Kingdom.
Announcing the route of the torch relay on Wednesday, London's organising committee (LOCOG) said the flame would arrive from Greece on May 18 before starting its 70-day trek at the windswept landmark on the southwestern tip of England.
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"The first locations on the route confirmed today give a flavour of the reach that Olympic Torch Relay will have around the UK and how extensive the opportunity for starting to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic Games will be."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduced a ban on international torch relays, starting officially for the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, although London organisers have long said its relay would stay within the UK.
However, plans are being discussed for a brief visit to the Irish capital Dublin.
During its route, the flame will stop off in the Shetland Islands, the Channel Islands and England's Lake District with organisers claiming 95 percent of the UK population will be within an hour of the route.
Many of Britain's famous sporting locations such as Wimbledon and St Andrews will also be visited.
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