Some 8,000 bearers will carry the Olympic flame across the U.K. The flame that will burn during the London Games was lit at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics, Greece, on Thursday, heralding the start of a torch. The studio was invited by the organizing committee of the London 2 012 Olympic Games and Danny Boyle, creative director of the opening.

Many of the runners had been given their torches for free by sponsoring companies, with some showing up for sale online within hours of the flame’s arrival in Britain. They were intended as a nostalgic keep-sake for runners, various British media reported. The torches cost £495 but can be bought by bearers for a discounted £215. Some have been advertised along with the runner’s uniform, while many are accompanied by details of the charities part of the winnings will go to. Her success appears to have inspired others to place their torches online, the paper said. Security for the London stage of the Olympic torch relay cost almost £750,000, a Metropolitan police briefing paper has revealed.

One is reported to have been sold by Sarah Milner Simonds - nominated as a torchbearer for her work as a community gardener in social housing areas from Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset - to raise £153,300, or about $250,000, for a gardening project. LONDON-Torch bearers, many of whom have not even completed their leg of the relay yet, appear keen to cash in on their roles, seeking to sell their keepsakes to the highest bidder, The Telegraph in London reported.ĭozens of the distinctive gold torches have already been posted online, with bids currently reaching more than £100,000 ($161,000).

London olympic torch