VANCOUVER, Oct. 28 /CNW/ -- Thousands of everyday Canadians are lacing up their running shoes and practising for their moment in the spotlight as official torchbearers in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. The relay is presented by Coca-Cola and RBC and supported by the Government of Canada.

Approximately 12,000 people from coast to coast to coast will run, walk, paddle, wheel, sail, and even fly when their turn comes during the history making 106-day, 45,000-kilometre journey across Canada, which starts this Friday in Victoria, BC, with the Olympic Flame's arrival from Greece.

In November 2008, when the 1,030 communities along the torch route were announced, two complementary initiatives started to allocate a total of 8,500 public torchbearer spots.

The first initiative was application programs run by Coca-Cola and RBC in partnership with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). Canadians applied from every corner of the country by submitting details on how they will commit to live more active lives, or are inspired to create a better Canada.

The second initiative was the awarding of the remainder of the 8,500 public spots through other programs such as the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay Aboriginal program and the nearly 200 relay route celebration communities, who have selected local torchbearers to carry the flame as part of their community celebrations. Many communities have chosen to keep these names confidential until their celebration starts.

"With just two days remaining until the start of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, our team and partners are in the finals stages of calling Canadians to let them know they've been successful in their applications and have been selected for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Andrea Shaw, VANOC's vice president sponsorship sales and marketing who has overall responsibility for the relays. "It's been completely inspiring making these calls and hearing the excitement from hundreds of people, from teenagers to senior citizens, in every province and territory who can hardly wait to be a part of Canada's Games and carry the Olympic Flame."

In addition to the public torchbearer programs, which will see an unprecedented number of public torchbearers selected, approximately 30 per cent of the total torchbearer positions were allocated to groups, such as Canada's national winter sport organizations, the Canadian Olympic Committee and VANOC's 60-plus Games sponsors, who are critical to the success of the relay and the 2010 Winter Games.