The flame of the 28th Olympic Games, lit at Olympia in Greece on March 25, for its onward journey to the five continents symbolized by the Olympic rings, will reach Delhi on June 10.
Two decorated elephants, with three baby elephants in tow, will carry the torch-bearers across Vijay Chowk in the capital when the flame reaches Delhi. It will then be taken to other monuments like the Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and Red Fort.
The Games' torch relay will see the sacred flame pass through 34 cities in 26 countries in 35 days before returning to Greece on July 9 in time for the commencement of the 2004 Games on August 13 at Athens. The relay will last for 83 days.
The first city on the torch relay route is Sydney, which hosted the last edition of the Games in 2000, followed by Melbourne, which was the other city in Australia in which the Games had been held in 1956.
All past and present host cities of the Olympic Summer Games, as well as Beijing, host city of the 2008 Olympic Games, will greet the flame.
The theme of the Torch Relay, presented by Coca-Cola and Samsung, is "Pass the Flame, Unite the World. For the first time, the flame will visit South America and Africa as well as other cities along the way. Over 11,000 torchbearers will carry the flame, which will pass hand-to-hand, runner-to-runner as it travels through each city. By the time the torch returns to Athens after the relay it would have travelled more than 78,000 kms by air atop bicycles and via boats.
Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) has been appointed the Official Supplier of Hotel Services to the first truly global Olympic Torch Relay, which begins its international leg on June 4.
