Torch Handover

Just a few hours from now, the Olympic Torch will complete the Greek leg of the tour, and will be handed over to Canadians for the flight home.

From the Official Site:

The Handover Ceremony takes place on October 29, when the sacred flame is transferred to representatives of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games during a traditional ceremony at the Panathenian Stadium in Athens, Greece. Three British Columbia mayors — Lake Cowichan Mayor Ross Forrest, Port Alberni Mayor Ken McRae and Queen Charlotte Mayor Carol Kulesha — will also be present at the ceremony and, along with the Vancouver 2010 delegation, will bring the sacred flame back to Canada.

A Greek-Canadian figure skater from Ontario, Niki Georgiadis will be the final torchbearer during the Handover Ceremony before the Olympic Flame travels to Canada.

The original Panathenian Stadium was formed from a natural hollow in the ground between two hills in Athens — Agra and Ardettos — and was transformed into a stadium in 330–329 BC, where athletic competitions of the Great Panathenaea Festivities were held. Over the centuries, the stadium went through several restorations and in 1896 it played host to the first modern Olympic Games.

The Handover Ceremony marks not only the real beginning of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay and the countdown to the Games, but it also offers a unique and unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime experience for 12,000 torchbearers and more than 1,030 communities in Canada. All can live the flame’s journey and be a part of the Olympic Movement in their own country.

Let the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay begin!

The handover ceremony can be seen here at Noon ET.

The torch touches down in Victoria tomorrow, with CTVOlympics.ca reporting as many as 50,000 people may show up....