How does the Olympic flame remain burning, even on a plane?
When the Olympic torch is paraded through London on Sunday, all eyes will be on stars like Dame Kelly Holmes and cricketer Kevin Pietersen. According to the strict traditions of the Olympic movement, and to mark the ancient rituals of the Games, the flame must be kept alive until the closing ceremony of the Games in Beijing in August. That’s all very well when the cameras are rolling and the torch is in the safe hands of a double gold medallist or a world-class cricketer. THE ANSWER The torch is extinguished for flights and overnight But the flame burns on in enclosed lanterns Overnight it is in a hotel room with three members of the 10-strong protection team See a map of torch relay route But what about the more mundane parts of the journey? A team of about 10 “flame attendants” is responsible for the 24-hour, safe passage of the flame, which has been ignited by the sun’s rays on the ancient site of Olympia in Greece. The torch, which is fuelled by propane, is used to carry the flame
