TORCH RUN ONDANKS SLECHT WEER GROOT SUCCES<br><i>TORCH RUN GREAT SUCCESS DESPITE HEAVY WEATHER</i>

Deze zogenaamde Torch Run had een zeer internationaal karakter door het meedoen van politiemensen uit 20 verschillende landen. De vlam werd, nadat de Run dinsdag uit Brussel was vertrokken, woensdag in Roosendaal verdeeld over twee fakkels. Elke avond kwamen de fakkels weer bijelkaar waarna ze de volgende ochtend weer uiteen gingen in een oostelijke en westelijke route. Zo is de Olympische vlam door alle Nederlandse politieregio’s gedragen. Ondanks de hevige regen en storm bleef de vlam dankzij een speciale deksel levend. In Glimmen kwamen de twee vlammen zondag definitief bijeen, vanwaar deze naar het hoofdgebouw van de Groningse politie aan de Rademarkt werd gelopen.. Vanaf de Rademarkt begeleidde een vijftigkoppige internationale politie-escorte de fakkel naar de Martinihal.TORCH RUN GREAT SUCCESS DESPITE HEAVY WEATHER

One thousand police officers have brought the Olympic Flame from the European Union headquarters in Brussels to the opening of the Games in Groningen, running. This so-called Torch Run was of a very international nature because of the partaking of police officers from 20 different countries. After the flame left Brussels on Tuesday it was divided onto 2 torches in Roosendaal on Wednesday. Every night the torches came back together, to split up again the next morning to go in an eastern and a western route. This way the Olympic Flame was carried through every police district in the Netherlands. Despite heavy rain and windstorms the flame remained lit, thanks to a specially designed cap. The two flames were rejoined for good in Glimmen on Sunday. From there on they were ran to the Groningen police headquarters at the Rademarkt. From the Rademarkt on a 50-member international police-escort accompanied the torch to the Martinihal.
Torch Run coordinator Peter Koemans considered the run a huge success. “It’s a very big honor to be allowed to carry the Special Olympics Flame” Whenever the flame passed by places where mentally handicapped lived or worked we received a very warm welcome. A fantastic experience.” (translation by Rene van der Hoofd)