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2012 Olympic Torch to be Powered by Lpg

The 2012 Olympic Torch, unveiled in June by Lord Coe and ex-Olympic gold heptathlete Denise Lewis, will be powered by lpg for its 70 day journey around the UK and Ireland before arriving at the Olympic stadium in London.

The torch, a gold coloured aluminium frame decorated with the London 2012 logo, was designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. It weighs 800g and has three sides representing the three Olympics held in London in 1908, 1948 and 2012. It contains 8,000 holes representing the 8,000 torchbearers – 110 people each day – who will take part in the Olympic Torch Relay.

The relay route is expected to come within one hour of every person living within the UK and Ireland, and will start at Land’s End next May. The final leg of the relay is usually undertaken by a sporting great, and is likely to be performed by five times Olympic gold medal rower Sir Steve Redgrave in 2012.

Sebastian Coe, chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said: “The torch that carries the Olympic Flame during the Olympic Torch Relay is one of the most recognisable and significant symbols of an Olympic Games. Members of the public right across the UK are busy nominating inspiring people to be torchbearers, and I am thrilled we have a beautifully designed, engineered and crafted torch for them to carry.”

The Olympic Torch designers worked with Basildon based engineering company Tecosim and Coventry based manufacturer The Premier Group to develop the prototypes. Mass production of the torches will start later this year.

Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby said: “Ever since we were young, we have loved the Olympic Games. As designers, this is quite simply the best project going – to design an icon for the games. We’ve wanted to be involved since July 2005 when we were celebrating winning the bid with the rest of the UK.

“We have worked hard to develop a torch that celebrates the relay and reflects the passion for London and the Olympic Games. We wanted to make the most of pioneering production technologies and to demonstrate the industrial excellence available in the UK – it’s a torch for our time. This is our opportunity to represent the UK in design terms, and we are incredibly proud to be doing so.”

The torch is made up of four key pieces – an inner and an outer aluminium alloy skin perforated by 8,000 circles that are held in place by a cast top piece and base. The circles allow the burner system that will keep the Olympic Flame alive to be seen and help ensure heat is quickly dissipated without being conducted down the handle.

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