Flame arrives in Canada for 2010 Games

The flame was handed to Canadian Olympic champions Catriona Le May Doan and Simon Whitfield, the first torch bearers, during a ceremony rich in Canadian aboriginal symbolism in the Pacific Coast city of Victoria, British Columbia.

“This is for all of Canada, we're overwhelmed,” speedskater Le May Doan said after the event, which drew roughly 5,000 people to the muddy lawn of the British Columbia Legislature and along the relay route through the streets of downtown Victoria.

The 106-day run will be the longest domestic torch relay in Olympic history, involving some 12,000 torch bearers and passing through 1,037 communities before the flame's arrival at the 2010 Games' opening ceremony on Feb. 12.

The flame, enclosed in a lantern, was flown to Canada from Greece on a military aircraft and then delivered to the ceremony by traditional canoes manned by chiefs of aboriginal Indian nations from the Victoria and Vancouver areas.

There were snags in the made-for-television event, including trouble igniting the caldron. Whitfield joked that he and Le May Doan also feared for a moment they had broken the torch when it made a loud clunk during their run.

Organizers say the C$32 million (US$30 million) relay will increase interest and support for the Vancouver Games.

This is the third time that Canada has played host to an Olympics.

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