Australian Torchbearers

Ian Thorpe and Ron Clarke will be heading a list of Australian Torchbearers. The event will take place on 24th April.

Ex-Olympics swimming champion Ian Thorpe will the head the list of Australian Torchbearers for the 2008 Beijing Summer Games. A total of 27 Olympians, including past and present will take part in the run. The relay will take place in Canberra in the month of April.

A total of 80 luminaries will be taking part in this event on 24th April. Thorpe, who won a record-making nine medals at the Olympics before retiring in 2006, said that it would be a great honor for him to take part in this prestigious run. Athlete Ron Clarke, who lit the Olympic Cauldron at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, is a prominent figure among the past Olympians to take part. Marathon runner Robert De Castilla, who took part in four Summer Games, will also be one of the torch bearers.

Among the present day Australians, who have appeared for the country at the Summer Games, taking part in the run are Jodie Henry (swimmer), Alice Mills (swimmer) and Tim Cuddihy (archer).

Among the non-Olympians who would be taking part are 2008 Australian of the Year Lee Kernaghan, Doctor Fiona Wood and Professor Ian Frazer. Both Wood and Frazer are past recipients of the Australian of the Year award. While Wood is a burns specialist, Frazer is a cancer researcher. Michael Milton, a paralympic skier, has been nominated by the Chief Minister. Stasia Dabrowski, Matilda House and Hannah Lord have been chosen by the Canberra community members. Hannah is the winner of the Young Canberra Citizen of the Year, while Stasia and Matilda are humanitarian and leader respectively.

Though the final route has not been decided, it is expected that the flame would be taken across Lake Burley Griffin by the Australian women’s rowing team.

The Olympic Torch relay for the 2008 Summer Olympics has been dubbed as the longest torch relay with around 22,000 people taking part in it.