The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay will cover some 45 000 kilometers of Canada and be within reach of 90% of the population.

It lands in Victoria on October 30, 2009 and travels to nearly the North Pole, to Newfoundland and back across Canada to land in the cauldron at BC Place on February 12, 2010.

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay Route [VANOC]

“The Olympic Torch Relay is a very special time for Canadians to come together and celebrate the Olympic Games, our country and our communities,” said Jim Richards, director of Torch Relays. “We’re working very hard to develop and deliver an Olympic Torch Relay that engages and inspires Canadians in every province and territory.” [Vancouver 2010]

“Mapping out this route, we wanted to include as many Canadians as possible,” said John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer, Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). “It is our dream to unite this country and bring Canadians closer together to rediscover the many cultures and perspectives that make up our nation — to celebrate Canada. With Glowing Hearts we will share the Olympic Flame with young and old, northern and southern, eastern and western and everyone in between — no one left out. A truly unifying Canadian celebration.”

The Olympic Torch Relay will visit 187 celebration communities, 115 Aboriginal communities, 20 key places of interest, 14 Canadian Forces Bases and stations, and 690 other route communities. The journey will take 106 days and will need more than a few hands to help it make it’s way across the true north strong and free.

This is where you come in.

The torch relay is being handled by sponsors, so you’ll need to visit RBC, Coke or SoGoActive to apply.

“Coca-Cola will encourage Canadians to “Live Olympic on the Coke Side of Life” by selecting torchbearers who demonstrate a commitment to active living and sustainability. Simply put, our motto will be live active, live green,” said Nicola Kettlitz, General Manager, Coca-Cola Olympic Project Team. “Coca-Cola hopes to inspire people to take positive action and make a difference in their communities by demonstrating our commitment to active living and sustainability — and recognizing those who are dedicated to pursuing positive change in these two areas.”

Examples of how the public can “Live Olympic:”

Sogo Active (youth ages 13-19): Sogo Active aims to harness the excitement of the Olympic Flame by igniting a passion for physical activity among Canadian youth. The program is unlike any other youth fitness initiative as it gives young Canadians the tools to design, change and control their own individual get active plan. The program is a Coca-Cola initiative, executed by ParticipACTION, through intensive consultation with leading Canadian physical activity experts, teenagers and a broad network of provincial, territorial, Aboriginal and community-based organizations. Sogo Active is a $5 million, five-year initiative.

Coca-Cola will award torchbearer spots to teenagers who join Sogo Active and demonstrate a commitment to adopting an active lifestyle.

RBC is inviting all Canadians to “Help Create a better Canada” by simply sharing, online, their personal pledge to do something small or large in their daily lives that will make Canada an even better place to live. Canadians who make their pledge online will automatically have a chance to become a 2010 Olympic Torchbearer.

Whether it’s a pledge to volunteer at the local rink, help out at a food bank, drive less often to work or clean up a nearby river bank, making a pledge allows Canadians to nominate themselves for a chance to carry the Olympic Torch.

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