Grab Your Red Mittens – the Olympic Torch Comes to Richmond
(Steveston, BC Canada)
Grab your red mittens and get ready to line the streets. The Olympic Torch Relay arrives in Richmond Tuesday in the late afternoon for its 21-kilometre journey through the city, carried by 70 different torchbearers.
A convoy of vehicles, including torchbearer shuttles, media vehicles, relay support vehicles and police cruisers, will accompany torchbearers as they travel the relay route. Temporary rolling road closures will occur to ensure the safety of the torchbearers and spectators a few minutes before the torch passes. The torch travels at about 7 km per hour. No street parking will be permitted along the route on February 9 from noon to 8 p.m.
The relay starts on No. 5 Road at Steveston Highway, to Williams Rd., Railway Ave., Moncton St., and No. 1 Rd. It heads north on No. 1 Rd. to Blundell Rd., to Railway Ave., to Granville Ave. to No. 2 Rd., where it accesses the closed Middle Arm dyke.
During the route, it passes South Arm, Steveston, West Richmond and Thompson Community Centres, which will be hosting neighbourhood celebrations. Public will not be able to see the torch run past the Oval – the dyke is fully closed for security reasons. The convoy will meet again at River Road east of Hollybridge Ave., to Cambie St., to No. 3 Road and the Aberdeen Canada Line stop.
The torchbearer will hop on the Canada Line - Richmond’s unique mode of transportation - to Richmond Brighouse stop. The last leg of the journey is No. 3 Rd. to Granville Ave., west on Granville, entering the O Zone at the south gate, where Richmond’s final torch bearer, Rick Hansen, will carry it to the main stage and light the cauldron in the midst of two-hour Torch Relay Community Celebration from 7 to 9 p.m.
“We’re proud to have Rick Hansen, the Man in Motion, as our final torchbearer representing Richmond,” says Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “Rick is a true ambassador for the Olympic Movement and he is the perfect individual to represent our community as the eyes of the world turn to us at the Richmond O Zone”.
Hansen wheeled more than 40,000-kilometres through 34 countries, raising $26 million for spinal cord injury (SPI) research and quality of life programs during his Man in Motion tour in 1985. As President and CEO of the Rick Hansen Foundation, he has helped generate $200 million for SCI research and programs. He also continued to pursue his passion for sport, winning 19 international wheelchair marathons, including six medals as a Paralympian. He’s received many honours for his work, the latest being named as one of the honorary co-Mayors of the 2010 Olympic Village in Vancouver. Rick and his family reside in Richmond.
Other Richmond torchbearers who are Richmond residents include Olive Bassett, Jim Kojima, Bob Mukai, Shirley Olafsson, Mary Gazetas, Jacqueline Roy, Al Sakai, Walter Wu, Novell Thomas and Jimmy van Ostrand.
For a route map and full details visit http://www.richmond.ca/discover/2010-Olympics/directions/2010transportation.htm. Motorists should note that in addition to rolling road closures, partial road closures will occur from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Granville Ave. westbound lane from No. 3 Rd. to Gilbert Rd. and on Minoru Blvd. from Granville Ave. to Minoru Gate.
By February 9, the 106-day, 44,000 km Olympic Torch Relay will have visited more than 1,030 communities and places of interest in every province and territory. From Richmond, the torch travels to the North Shore, then spends two days travelling through Vancouver. On February 12, it will enter BC Place during the Opening Ceremony, and with the lighting of the Games cauldron, will signal the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
For more information on the Torch Relay Community Celebration in Richmond, visit www.richmond.ca/olympictorchrelay. For more information on the Richmond O Zone, visit www.richmondozone.ca and for information on the celebrations planned at the community centres, contact them directly. For more information on the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, visit www.vancouver2010.com/torchrelay.
