[Mrluvaluva]

The Olympic flame has been formally handed over to London at a historic ceremony in Greece attended by former England football captain David Beckham.

He was joined by Games chief Lord Coe, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Princess Anne, who is heading the British delegation in Athens to collect the torch and start its journey from Greece to the UK.

Beckham was among those who helped London fight off competition from Paris to win its bid to host the Games back in 2005.

Youtube video

The president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Spyros Capralos, handed the flame to the Princess Royal at the Panathenaic Stadium, which hosted the first modern Games in 1896.

Lord Coe told spectators: "For the past eight days our two countries have connected in a very special way, in the spirit of peace and friendship of the flame and the values of this great Olympic movement."

He described the handover as "an occasion of international significance and importance".

"Like the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the flame belongs to the world and the arrival of the flame in the host nation is a resounding and clarion call to the best athletes of their generation in more than 200 nations and territories preparing to gather for the London 2012 Games."

The historic event took place in a rain-hit sundown ceremony, which included five British sporting teenagers who were picked to perform a symbolic exchange of olive branches to the tune of John Lennon's Imagine.

The young people were chosen by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Locog).

They were selected from around the country for their commitment to sporting excellence.

After spending the night at the British embassy in Athens, the flame will be brought to the UK by the British delegation on a plane named Firefly on Friday evening, where there will be a welcoming ceremony at the Culdrose Royal Navy base in Cornwall.

On Saturday morning it will start an 8,000-mile journey around the UK from Land's End, carried by 8,000 torchbearers, as part of a 70-day relay ending at the Olympic Park.

The flame will then be used to light the cauldron in Stratford's Olympic Stadium at the Games' opening ceremony on July 27.

The flame was lit at a ceremony in Olympia - the ancient home of the Games - on May 10.

It has since been carried 1,800 miles through Greece by 500 torchbearers on a week-long route.


Sky


Olympic torch relay route

[Ninastar]

it goes past my neighbourhood, it's like a 5 min walk from my house

[Kizzy]

Its coming down manningham lane in Bradford! All the prozzies will have a bit of extra trade that day if the MPs show up lol

[Saph]

Princess Anne holding the torch. She looked like she was about to drop it

[Saph]

I think its coming through my town, my college is doing a compitition to hold it so I guess it must be :s

[Novo]

" the announcer twice insisted on introducing Beckham as Sir David Beckham "

The Announcer is very right there

[Novo]

[Kizzy]

How does Bonson do that to a suit?! ..He looks a right scruff...

[Mrluvaluva]

*plays Reservoir Dogs theme tune - Little Green Bag* ^^^