Polar Bear Greets Vancouver Olympic Flame
11/9/2009
Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent passes the flame to World Wildlife Fund president Carter Roberts in Churchill, Manitoba on Saturday. (Vancouver 2010) (ATR) The Vancouver 2010 torch travels south through Nunavut on Day 11 of the journey through the cold climate of snowy Northern Canadian frontier.
Weekend highlights include the Olympic flame traveling to Alert, Nunavut, the world’s most northerly settlement which is 900 kilometers (559 mi) from the North Pole. The Canadian Forces station was established in 1957 during the Cold War to monitor the former Soviet Union’s northern activities.
Today, the torch makes the first stop in Ausuittuq (Grise Fiord), at 8:31 a.m., Qausuittuq (Resolute Bay) two
A polar bear welcomes the Olympic Flame in Churchill, MB. (Vancouver 2010)hours later and winds up the day at Iqaluit, capital of Nunavut, at 5:34 p.m.
Along the way it will be blessed by Inuit, carried by an eastern Arctic traditional fan-hitched dogsled team and portaged across a bay in a Inuit kayak for the day’s last stop.
In Iqaluit, 73-year-old Joe Tikivik will carry the flame on behalf of Royal Bank of Canada. He was the first client for the bank in Iqaluit 52-years ago.
On Tuesday, the tour enters Quebec.
Written by Tristan Luciotti and Bob Mackin For general comments or questions, click here Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only.
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