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The Winter Olympic flame has begun its journey to the start of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, with rowers featuring prominently.

On 22 October, the flame was ignited in Olympia, Greece, as is tradition, and then went on an eight-day journey around Greece. Two days before being flown to Canada, Greek rower, two-time Olympic medallist Vasileios Polymeros lit the Olympic torch in Athens, at the Parthenon. Starting off the 106-day Canadian journey, the flame was rowed across Elk Lake, home of Rowing Canada’s national training centre in Victoria, British Columbia.

Legendary coach Mike Spracklen, 72, who coached the Canadian 1992 and 2008 Olympic Champion men’s eight, received the torch and handed it to the eight which included mainly rowers from the 2008 crew plus one 1992 rower.

This is the first time the flame has been rowed in a torch relay and Spracklen passed it to coxswain Brian Price who then held the flame and steered the eight across Elk Lake. The crew consisted of Kyle Hamilton, Adam Kreek, Dominic Seiterle, Malcolm Howard, Jake Wetzel, Andrew Byrnes, Kevin Light and Derek Porter (from the 1992 Olympic Champion crew, filling in for Ben Rutledge who has rowing coaching commitments).

Price commented that this is the first time since the Beijing Olympics that the crew has been back in the boat together and back on the lake where they spent so many hours preparing for the 2008 Olympics.

In the middle of the lake Price passed the flame down the boat and then on to junior rowers from the Victoria City Rowing Club. Olympic rowing medallist Silken Laumann also took part in the first day of the torch relay.

Canadian rowers will continue to feature on various parts of the relay. Dave Calder, who gained silver at the 2008 Olympics (men’s pair) will participate on the first day of the relay while Calder’s rowing partner Scott Frandsen will take the flame in January.

FISA council member Tricia Smith will carry the flame in December. Smith competed at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and she will participate in the Montreal leg of the relay.

About 34 current or former rowers will take part in the relay.

Canadian rowers have won 36 Olympic medals going back to the 1904 Games. Rowing, along with swimming and athletics, is considered the country’s backbone to summer Olympic success. Four rowing medals were won for Canada at the Beijing Olympics.

The Elk Lake rowing facilities received an extra bonus with the announcement of over $500,000 in government funding being earmarked for the national team facilities at the lake.
The torch relay will include 12,000 people from all walks of life in its travels and cover 45,000km across Canada until the start of the Winter Olympics on 12 February 2010.

Πηγή: WorldRowing