Olympic Torch to arrive in UK!

The Olympic flame is due to arrive in the UK this Friday Evening, ready for the start of the London 2012 torch relay which begins on Saturday.

The Olympic flame, meant to represent purity, was kindled from the rays of the sun using a parabolic mirror in a ceremony on 10th May at Olympia, the home of the ancient Olympic Games.

It was taken on a 1,800 mile-long relay around Greece before being handed over to the Princess Royal on the evening of Thursday 17th March 2012 at the Panathenaic stadium, Athens.

The flame is currently flying from Athens Greece to the UK with Princess Anne, Footballer David Beckham and Lord Coe, chairman of Games organisers Locog.

The 8,000 mile, 70-day torch relay around the UK which begins on Saturday 19th May starts from Land’s End Cornwall and triple Olympic gold medal-winning sailor Ben Ainslie will be the first of 8,000 torchbearers who will carry it across the country.

It starts from Land’s End, Cornwall and triple Olympic gold medal-winning sailor Ben Ainslie will be the first of 8,000 torchbearers who will carry it across the country.

The torch visits the four nations of the UK before being carried into the Olympic Stadium in Stratford on 27 July for the opening ceremony of the Games.

It will travel through 1,019 cities, towns and villages, on foot or in convoy, and drop in at UK landmarks like the Giant’s Causeway and Stonehenge.

If the run up the Olympic Games has left you in a sporting mood, NCC Home Learning are offering the fascinating Sports Psychology Diploma which is available at a discounted price throughout May.  The Sports Psychology Diploma course focuses on the scientific study of people and their behaviors in sport contexts and the practical application of that knowledge.

To read more about the Olympic flame click on the following link: BBC News