The Olympic Torch

In 1952, an eight from Malmö Rowing Club, in the south of Sweden, picked up the Olympic torch in the habour of Malmö and rowed the flame on the canal in to the club house. From there it was further transported to Helsinki.

For the Olympic Games in London next year, the Olympic torch will be transported on an 8,000-mile (12,874 km) tour around Great Britain. The flame will also arrive to Henley-on-Thames on 10 July, the local newspaper the Henley Standard mentions in an article. Thereafter, it will be rowed from the River and Rowing Museum to Reading, and then go on a journey around England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and outlying islands. “The relay will conclude with the flame travelling along the River Thames to reach the Olympic Stadium on July 27,” the newspaper writes.

The names of the rowers who are taking it to Reading have not yet been publicized. Of course, the town of Henley has a great Olympic tradition, being the host of two previous Olympic regattas in 1908 and 1948. The River and Rowing Museum is celebrating the Olympics and Paralympic Games with an exhibition called “The Perfect Rower — 100 Years of Racing for Glory”. Read the whole article in the Henley Standard here.

For the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, the Olympic torch was fetched in the habour of Malmö by an eight from my rowing club, Malmö Roddklubb. The oarsmen elegantly rowed into the canal and to the club house, where it was picked up by the local canoe club. When I began rowing in the club, the older members, whether they had been in the crew or not, still talked with pride of carrying the Olympic flame – a great honour for the club, indeed.