Intro:

Schoolchildren, charity fundraisers, war veterans and a centenarian are among 8,000 people who will carry the Olympic flame in the torch relay ahead of the 2012 London Games.

Script:

Within a javelins' throw of the 2012 Olympic Park, London mayor Boris Johnson and Britain's former Olympic triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards joined five of the 8,000 people selected to be torchbearers on Monday.

The volunteers will each cover around 300 metres of the 8,000 mile route, which will pass within 10 miles of 95% of Britain's population.

Mayor Johnson revealed his excitement about the number of people who will be involved in the torch's journey to the Olympic Stadium.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Boris Johnson, Mayor of London

"What we're doing here today is showing how the Olympic torch relay is going to be democratised, put out through the streets of London. Everybody is going to see it coming through their neighbourhood, thousands of people are going to be carrying that torch. Hundreds of Londoners. It's a great, great moment for the city."

While most torchbearers will walk or run, the flame will also be transported via skates, a zip wire and a rowing boat on the River Thames during its 70-day trip.

LOGOG board member Edwards believes that everyone who wants to be involved will have a chance to do so.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Jonathan Edwards, LOCOG

"We've tried incredibly hard to get it as close to as many people as possible, and to be within ten miles of 95 percent of the population has been a huge achievement. It's been a two-year consultation process, with all the local authorities, local boroughs, residents associations and the like, to try and make sure we get the route right for each part of the United Kingdom. So I think we've been very successful in that, and everybody who wants to go and celebrate the torch will have a chance to do that."

Torchbearers will represent a cross-section of British society, from the age of 12 to 100 and plenty of rehearsals will be needed to ensure the spirit of the Games remains alight before the opening ceremony on July 27th.