Olympic torch could look like a paddle
By BOB MACKIN, 24 HOURS
The Olympic torch - to be unveiled tomorrow morning in Whistler Village - could be shaped like a canoe paddle.
The Richmond Oval art plan said the City of Richmond would "work with VANOC to recommend that the Olympic torch has a Salish paddle inspired design."
The riverside Oval is the 2010 Winter Olympics' showcase venue and site of a one-year countdown ceremony to invite the world tomorrow at 5 p.m.
Access to Information documents show the feds, who pledged $25 million for the torch relay, suggested a design inspired by the House of Commons' 1955-commissioned Northwest Territories' mace. It includes whale bone, walrus tusk and polar bear claw.
"A similar Olympic torch could be made from fibre optic-type material and include minerals and elements from across the country," said a planning document.
The report said
a GPS chip could be embedded in the torch to enable constant route tracking and said Vancouver 2010 should follow Sydney 2000's lead and appoint a retired Aboriginal athlete as the final torch bearer.
Salish paddle
Northwest Territories mace
