The Olympic flame is the Olympic Games symbol of peace, hope, inclusiveness, equality, joy and fraternity. Before the beginning of each Olympics and Paralympics Games, the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia, Greece, the site of the first Olympics Games. The flame burns for the length of the Games and is extinguished at the closing ceremony of the Games.
For the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the Olympic flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece on October 22, 2009. It will go on a short relay around Greece, and then will be picked up by a Canadian team on October 29. The Canadians will bring the flame to Victoria, British Columbia, where a celebration will start the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Torch Relay on October 30. The 2010 Olympics Torch Relay will last for 106 days. Twelve thousand torchbearers will cover 45,000 kilometres (28,000 miles) in Canada by land, air and water, carrying the Olympic flame through more than 1000 Canadian communities.
