Celebrities with the 2012 Olympic torch

The Olympic Flame is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since. However, the torch relay of modern times which transports the flame from Greece to the various designated sites of the games has no ancient precedent and was introduced by Carl Diem at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

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In this handout image provided by LOCOG, Former record breaking athlete Sir Roger Bannister (L) passes the Flame to Torchbearer 001 Nicola Byrom on the track at Iffley Road Stadium at the start of day 53 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay leg from Oxford to Reading on July 9, 2012 in Oxford, England. The Olympic Flame is now on day 53 of a 70-day relay involving 8,000 torchbearers covering 8,000 miles. (LOCOG via Getty Images)
In this handout image provided by LOCOG, Former record breaking athlete Sir Roger Bannister (L) passes the Flame to Torchbearer 001 Nicola Byrom on the track at Iffley Road Stadium at the start of day 53 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay leg from Oxford to Reading on July 9, 2012 in Oxford, England. The Olympic Flame is now on day 53 of a 70-day relay involving 8,000 torchbearers covering 8,000 miles. (LOCOG via Getty Images)