Africa Triathlon

With exactly one week to go until the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, the Olympic Flame will be abseiled from a helicopter to the Tower of London this evening as it arrives for its seven-day journey around the Host City.

The Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung – has visited over 1,000 communities around the UK and celebrated the achievements of over 7,000 Torchbearers to date. In total 10.2 million people have lined the streets to see the Flame.

In London, the the final leg of its journey, the Torch will be carried by 982 Torchbearers around 200 miles of the capital’s streets. The final day of the Relay – 27 July – will see 18 Torchbearers carry the Flame, seven of whom will travel with it down the River Thames on Gloriana, the royal barge.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG said: ‘Thank you to everyone who has cheered on the Torchbearers right around the UK and helped to build the excitement towards the start of the Games. With eleven days to go until the Olympic Flame the lights the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony it is great to see London ready to welcome the Flame and set to celebrate inspiring people and amazing places in each and every Borough.’

Millions of people across the UK are preparing to join in a day of celebrations on Friday 27 July. The day will begin with bells ringing across the UK, as quickly and loudly as possible, at 8.12am for three minutes. This is part of the London 2012 Festival commission ‘All The Bells’ by Turner Prize winning artist Martin Creed.

Anyone can take part by ringing any kind of bell for three minutes – from change ringing experts to enthusiastic children with hand bells, bicycle bells and doorbells.

The latest update of the free official London 2012 Join In mobile application allows anyone to play the Martin Creed bell sequence by tapping or shaking their phone like a hand bell. Find out more here

Friday 27 July marks the final day of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. After being carried through the world’s oldest hedge maze at Hampton Court Palace the Flame will board The Queen’s Rowbarge ‘Gloriana’ where a ceremonial cauldron will be lit. Over the course of the morning seven Torchbearers on board the Gloriana will light a Torch from the cauldron and carry the Flame for about eight minutes each. The finale to the public participation in the Torch Relay will see the last Torchbearer on the Gloriana carry the Flame to Tower Bridge at approximately 12.45pm. The Flame will then remain out of view until it appears at the Opening Ceremony that evening.

The worldwide broadcast of Danny Boyle’s ‘Isles of Wonder’ Olympic Opening Ceremony will commence at 9pm (local time) to an estimated audience of 1 billion people around the world.

More more on triathlon at the London 2012 Olympic Games, visit triathlon.org/olympics

With files from LOCOG