Merging Celebrity with Technology: Samsung Hosts LONDON 2012 Olympic Torch Relay

Samsung Electronics, a Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, revealed today its Olympic Torch Relay programme just days before the Olympic Flame arrives in the UK. Samsung has gathered together a legion of inspirational international Olympic Torchbearers who will carry the Olympic Flame around the UK during its 70-day relay. Samsung will bring the excitement to towns and villages across the UK with the Samsung Caravan, an interactive media vehicle, and live stage performances at evening celebrations. This mobile festival will offer new inspiring opportunities for people around the country to experience and take part in the London 2012 Olympic Games.

In 2011, Samsung launched a six-month global search for Torchbearers who had demonstrated how they had “gone the extra mile”. Nominations were received from 58 countries around the world, enabling Samsung’s London 2012 campaign to deliver the most inclusive Olympic Games ever – An Olympic Games for Everyone. Every Torchbearer has been carefully selected for their unique contribution to local communities and their demonstration of the Olympic spirit.

London 2012 Olympic Torchbearers will have their experience further enriched by the involvement of an array of celebrity Torchbearers, including nine-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist John Legend. Legend is well-known for his work to break the cycle of poverty and improve educational opportunities for all kids through his Show Me Campaign.

Commenting on his Torchbearer invitation, Legend said, “This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and I’m looking forward to meeting some of the amazing people from all walks of life that Samsung has invited to take part.”

In addition to Legend, Samsung has selected a number of globally recognized Torchbearers who are known for their continuous inspiration to others. British TV star and campaigner Jamie Oliver, Ivory Coast and Chelsea footballer Didier Drogba, and Vladimir Tolstoy, the essayist and great grandson of Leo Tolstoy, will all join Legend in carrying the Olympic Flame.

Didier Drogba, a star striker playing for Chelsea FC, a football club Samsung has partnered with since 2005, has been nominated as an Olympic Torchbearer. His selection for this role is due to his continuous efforts in improving health and education for African children through the Didier Drogba Foundation, as well as supporting the club’s community and sporting activities for underprivileged youngsters in London. Drogba commented, “It is a great honour to be recognised for the work I do off the pitch, in local London communities or campaigning to improve the lives of children in Africa. It has always been my goal to change things for the better. The Olympic Torch Relay celebrates just a handful of the many extraordinary people that put others’ needs before their own on a daily basis and this is what I will be celebrating.”

The Olympic Torch is the emotional symbol of the Olympic Games, and marks the beginning and the end of the Olympic Games. It also presents an opportunity for the general public to take part in the Olympic Games by offering them a chance to carry the Olympic Flame. Since Athens 2004, Samsung has sponsored the Olympic Torch Relay in two Youth Olympic Games and three Olympic Games, and is now entirely committed to delivering its sixth Olympic Torch for London 2012 to share the Olympic spirit across the world.

The Samsung Caravan will travel with Torchbearers around the UK during the 70-day relay. An interactive LED screen built into the side of the Caravan will feature Olympic Torch Relay highlights as well as avatars of participants for Samsung Hope Relay, a virtual Olympic Torch Relay that allows everyone to take part. The caravan is designed to invigorate audiences and celebrate the Torch Relay. The celebrations will be further enhanced with music and interaction with local communities, including distribution of Olympic keepsakes to crowds.

To welcome the Olympic Flame and to celebrate the combined efforts of all its Torchbearers, Samsung will join LOCOG (London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) and the host Local Authority to stage an evening celebration event, showcasing a series of exciting shows featuring groups such as ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ dance group Diversity, who will be sure to thrill the crowds. And topping the bill, the special surprise guest of the event will be the brand new Samsung GALAXY S III – Samsung’s Olympic Games Phone for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Spectators will be able to visit the Samsung Mobile Trailer to enjoy an immersive entertainment experience and to explore the world’s most advanced smartphone, the GALAXY SIII, before it is released to market.

The London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay will begin its 70-day journey around the UK on Saturday, May 19th , taking in many of the UK’s cultural landmarks. Visiting over 1,000 cities, towns and villages along its 8,000 mile route, the Olympic Flame aims to inspire the UK with the spirit of the Olympic Games and marks the official start of the London 2012 Olympic Games prior to its celebrated arrival at the Olympic Stadium on July 27th.

Samsung encourages everyone to celebrate the Olympic Torch Relay and to make London 2012 ‘Everyone’s Olympic Games’, creating inspiring and memorable experiences for people around the world.

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