Envoy gives Olympic flame ‘petal’

By KYMLIE KARANI
THE Papua New Guinea Sports Federation and Olympic Committee and the country yesterday took possession of a petal from the 2012 London Olympics cauldron.
The historic moment saw British High Commissioner, Jackie Barson present one of the 204 petals that made up the Olympic flame to PNGSFOC president, Sir John Dawanincura.
The gift was sent from the London Olympic Games Organising Committee (LOGOC) in appreciation of the country’s participation in London and was unveiled in a press conference   .
“2012 was a monumental year for the UK for so many reasons. Of course, this included the opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games,” Barson said.
“The London 2012 cauldron was central to this and represented every participating nation through a series of handmade copper elements known as ‘petals’, with one created for every country taking part in the Olympics.”
The cauldron was designed by renowned British architect, Thomas Heatherwick.
The petal is the original copper fragment that was carried by a child into the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony with the PNG national team.
It became a very vital part of the 204 small flames that united to become the Olympic flame.
Sir John said receiving the gift was a historic moment for the federation and those Olympians who took part in London’s 2012 Games.
 “It is a great honour for us to receive this petal; it is an iconic symbol of the London Games and the Olympic spirit that lives on,” Sir John said.
“It was an honour for Papua New Guinea to be recognised as number one out of the 204 nations in receiving the petal.”
Barson said as the London Games became a powerful memory and part of the UK legacy, the beautifully crafted petals “will act as a perpetual symbol of friendship to all those who were in London last summer”.
Barson congratulated PNG for being represented by eight athletes at the London Games.