The Olympic torch will visit St Andrews ahead of next summer’s Olympic games.
A number of “major” venues for the relay tour were revealed on Wednesday, with Dundee among the cities confirmed as stop-off points. The Olympic organisers had been planning to keep more minor locations a secret until later in the year.
However, The Courier can confirm St Andrews does feature on the torch’s itinerary.
North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell, himself a former Olympian, had been campaigning for his constituency to be included for over a year and declared himself “delighted” by the development.
The ex-leader of the Lib Dems is a member of the Olympic board for the London 2012 games and is well known as an athlete in his own right.
Before rising through the ranks of British politics, Sir Menzies ran for Great Britain at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He was also captain of the UK athletics team from 1965-66 and led the Scotland team at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica.
Confirmation that the Olympic torch would stop off in St Andrews was clearly a source of great pride for the veteran politician.
“I am delighted at the prospect of the Olympic torch visiting St Andrews along with other famous sporting venues,” he said. “Although the detailed route will be announced later in the year, news that St Andrews is to be included will be warmly welcomed.”
Sir Menzies is particularly thrilled at the prospect of the torch visiting the West Sands setting for one of the most iconic scenes in the history of British film.Wonderful”The sight of the torch going along the West Sands where the famous opening scenes from the film Chariots Of Fire were shot will be wonderful a superb backdrop for the relay,” the MP continued. “Where better to bring the torch than the home of golf, which is to be included in the Olympics for the first time in 2016?”
Thousands of people are expected to celebrate along the route taken by the torch among them Olympic hopeful Nony Mordi.
The Fife triple jumper has still not given up on her dream of representing the UK at the games, but admits the opportunity to see the torch during its visit to the kingdom is too good to miss.
Training has taken something of a backseat lately as Nony a fourth-year medicine student at Edinburgh University is preparing for her finals. She is also struggling to overcome a stress fracture injury but insists the Olympics are never far from her mind.
“The Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014 are my realistic goal but I would never rule out the Olympics if it was a possibility,” said Nony. “I will certainly be stepping up my training once the exams are out of the way.”
Nony, from Cupar, is at least looking forward to seeing the Olympic torch as it makes its way toward the extravaganza in London.
“I think it is fabulous that the torch is coming to St Andrews,” the 23-year-old said after The Courier told her the news. “It is absolutely wonderful I can’t wait to see it.”
The exact timetable for the Fife visit is not yet clear, although it is likely to take place between stops in Dundee on June 12 and Edinburgh on June 13.