Sochi 2014 Torch Relay to Be Longest in Winter Olympic History

Sochi 2014 organizers announced Sunday the route that the Olympic flame will travel.

According to tradition, anesthetist the Olympic flame will be lit in Olympia, medicine Greece, and from there it will be transported to Moscow on October 7, 2013. The following day it will start its journey across Russia.

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay will be the longest in the history of the Winter Olympic Games with 14,000 torchbearers carrying the flame over 123 days and through 2,900 towns and settlements.

The torch will be carried more than 65,000 kilometres by foot, car, train, plane and even on a Russia “troika” – a traditional Russian sleigh pulled by horses or reindeer. About 130 million Russians are expected to see the relay as it travels around the country.

The relay will go from Moscow to Sochi, visiting many important historic, cultural and picturesque areas of Russia. The relay will then celebrate the new Olympic year in Kazan, considered one of the most beautiful cities in Russia.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee said: “The Olympic Torch Relay is one of the most important and magical Olympic occasions. It continues the build-up of excitement ahead of the Games and as well as the Olympic values to the whole country we will be creating, as a nation, an important part of Russian history. I am sure that the Olympic Torch Relay will be welcomed by a wonderful celebration in every city it visits.

“The Sochi 2014 Relay will bring the entire country together, highlighting the diversity and beauty of Russia, particularly for the people of Russia themselves. For one day during the relay each town or settlement that the Olympic Flame visits will become the centre of attention and it will be a unique chance to showcase itself to the whole world.”