2014 Winter Olympics torch relay
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| Host city | Sochi, Russia |
|---|---|
| Countries visited | Greece, Russia |
| Distance | 65,000 km |
| Torchbearers | ~15,000 |
| Start date | 7 October 2013 |
| End date | 7 February 2014 |
The 2014 Winter Olympics torch relay was run from October 7, 2013, 123 days prior to the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, until February 7, 2014, the day of the opening ceremony at Sochi. In Russia the relay traveled from Moscow to Sochi through 2,900 towns and villages across all 83 federal subjects of Russia by foot, car, train, plane, and troika for over 65,000 km of journey.[1] The event became the longest relay in Winter Olympics history.[2]
The lighting ceremony was held on September 29, 2013, at Olympia, Greece with Greek alpine skier Ioannis Antoniou as the relay originating torchbearer.[3] The first Russian torchbearer was NHL star Alex Ovechkin, who received the torch from Antoniou in Olympia.[4]
The Torches
[edit]The 2014 Olympic Torches were unveiled on January 14, 2013, in Moscow. The torch is chrome with red detail, a traditional colour of Russian sport. It was designed by a creative team led by Vladimir Pirozhkov and Andrei Vodyanik and weighs nearly 1.8 kg (4.0 lb), is 0.95 m (37 in) tall, 0.145 m (5.7 in) wide, and 0.54 m (21 in) deep.[5]
The torches failed on at least forty-four occasions during the relay,[6] a failure rate of about 3 percent compared to the average 5 percent at the previous Olympics,[7] and on one occasion, a nearby guard helped light the fire again with a lighter.[8] The People's Front (a movement created and led by Vladimir Putin) has called for a criminal investigation into the manufacturer of the torches, a rocket/missile factory.[9]
Special relay
[edit]On October 20, 2013, the torches reached the North Pole for first time via a nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy.[10] On November 6, 2013, the torch was flown into space by Soyuz rocket and brought back on November 11. The torch reached Europe's highest mountain, Mount Elbrus, and the depths of Siberia's Lake Baikal.[11]
Route in Greece
[edit]September 29 (day 1)
September 30 (day 2)
October 1 (day 3)
October 2 (day 4)
October 3 (day 5)
October 4 (day 6)
Route in Russia
[edit]| Route | Map |
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October 7–9 (day 1–3): Moscow |
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October 11 (day 5): Torzhok |
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October 12 (day 6): Smolensk |
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October 14 (day 8): Yasnaya Polyana |
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October 15 (day 9): Ryazan |
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October 16 (day 10): Murom |
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October 18 (day 12): Kostroma |
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October 19 (day 13): Yaroslavl |
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October 20 (day 14): Vologda |
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| October 21 (day 15): Not travelling, staying in Vologda | |
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October 22 (day 16): Kizhi |
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October 24 (day 18): Veliky Novgorod |
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October 26 (day 20): Gatchina |
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October 27 (day 21): Saint Petersburg |
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October 29 (day 23): Svetlogorsk |
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October 30 (day 24): Murmansk |
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| October 31 (day 25): Not travelling, staying in Murmansk | |
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November 1 (day 26): Severodvinsk |
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November 2 (day 27): Syktyvkar |
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November 3 (day 28): Naryan-Mar |
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November 4 (day 29): Novy Urengoy |
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November 5 (day 30): Nefteyugansk |
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November 7 (day 32): Norilsk |
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November 10 (day 35): Magadan |
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| November 11 (day 36): Not travelling, staying in Magadan | |
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November 12 (day 37): Anadyr |
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November 12 (day 37):Yelizovo |
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November 14 (day 39): Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk |
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November 15–16 (day 40–41): Vladivostok |
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November 17 (day 42): Khabarovsk |
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November 18 (day 43): Birobidzhan |
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November 19 (day 44): Belogorsk |
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| November 20 (day 45): Not travelling, staying in Blagoveshchensk | |
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November 21 (day 46): Chita |
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November 22 (day 47): Ulan-Ude |
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November 23 (day 48): Listvyanka (Lake Baikal) |
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November 25 (day 50): Divnogorsk |
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November 27 (day 52): Abakan |
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November 28 (day 53): Kyzyl |
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November 29 (day 54): Kedrovskiy coal mine |
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December 1 (day 56): Tomsk |
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December 2 (day 57): Gorno-Altaysk |
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December 3 (day 58): Barnaul |
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| December 4–5 (day 59–60): Not travelling, staying in Barnaul | |
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December 6–7 (day 61–62): Novosibirsk |
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December 8 (day 63): Kalachinsk |
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| December 10 (day 65): Not travelling, staying in Omsk | |
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December 13–14 (day 68–69): Yekaterinburg |
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December 15 (day 70): Kurgan |
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December 16–17 (day 71–72): Chelyabinsk |
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| December 19 (day 74): Not travelling, staying in Magnitogorsk | |
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December 20–21 (day 75–76): Ufa |
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December 22 (day 77): Orenburg |
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| December 23 (day 78): Not travelling, staying in Orenburg | |
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December 24 (day 79): Syzran |
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December 26 (day 81): Ulyanovsk |
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December 27 (day 82): Cheboksary |
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December 28 (day 83): Yoshkar-Ola |
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| December 29 (day 84): Not travelling, staying in Yoshkar-Ola | |
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December 30 (day 85): Sviyazhsk |
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| January 1 (day 87): Not travelling, staying in Kazan | |
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January 2 (day 88): Izhevsk |
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January 5 (day 91): Kirov |
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| January 6 (day 92): Not travelling, staying in Kirov | |
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January 7–8 (day 93–94): Nizhny Novgorod |
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January 9 (day 95): Saransk |
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January 10 (day 96): Penza |
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January 11 (day 97): Saratov |
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January 12 (day 98): Tambov |
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January 14 (day 100): Oryol |
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January 15 (day 101): Bryansk |
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January 16 (day 102): Kursk |
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January 17 (day 103): Belgorod |
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January 18 (day 104): Voronezh |
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January 19 (day 105): Uryupinsk |
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January 21 (day 107): Novocherkassk |
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January 23 (day 109): Pyatigorsk |
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January 25 (day 111): Elista |
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January 26 (day 112): Astrakhan |
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January 27 (day 113): Makhachkala |
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January 27 (day 113): Cherkessk |
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January 28 (day 114): Grozny |
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| January 29 (day 115): Not travelling, staying in Nazran | |
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January 30 (day 116): Vladikavkaz |
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January 30 (day 116): Nalchik |
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| February 2 (day 119): Not travelling, staying in Mount Elbrus | |
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February 3 (day 120): Maykop |
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February 4 (day 121): Krasnodar |
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Protests
[edit]Gay activist Pavel Lebedev (not to be confused with a Russian retired figure skater Pavel Lebedev) was arrested at the relay in Voronezh for unveiling a rainbow flag. When interviewed he said "hosting the games here contradicts the basic principles of the Olympics, which is to cultivate tolerance".[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Russia unveils torch relay route of 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics". English.news.cn. October 8, 2012. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
- ^ "Sochi 2014 Torch Relay to be longest in Winter Games history". Olympic.org. October 8, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
- ^ "First Torchbearer announced for Sochi 2014 Torch Relay". Olympic.org. September 20, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ^ "Alex Ovechkin excited to carry torch". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 29, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
- ^ "Sochi 2014 torch unveiled". Olympic.org. January 14, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
- ^ Главу завода по изготовлению олимпийских факелов уволят, если они "то потухнут, то погаснут" 300 раз. NEWSru.com (in Russian). November 1, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ^ "The magic of Russian Olympic torches". Pravda.ru. October 30, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ Lally, Kathy (October 7, 2013). "Russia's Olympic torch flames out, again". The Washington Post. Washington DC. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013.
- ^ К концу второго дня эстафеты олимпийского огня в Москве ОНФ просит СКР разобраться с тухнущими факелами. NewsRU.Com (in Russian). October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ Zaccardi, Nick (October 20, 2013). "Sochi Olympic torch relay reaches North Pole". NBC OlympicTalk. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
- ^ de Carbonnel, Alissa (November 6, 2013). "Russian Soyuz rocket flies Olympic torch to space station". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
- ^ "Gay Russian protester detained at Olympic relay for rainbow flag". Fox Sports. January 18, 2014. Archived from the original on January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
External links
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