Olympic flame to arrive in UK on 18 May after tour of Greece

London 2012 organisers have confirmed details of the arrival of the Olympic flame in the UK. It will be lit by the sun's rays in Olympia before starting an eight‑day tour around Greece and arriving in Cornwall on 18 May. An hour-long lighting ceremony amid the historic ruins of the home of the ancient Games at the Temple of Hera in Olympia will signal the start of the relay around Greece. The flame is due to arrive on 17 May at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, where a London 2012 representative will be ready for the official handover. London 2012's chairman, Lord Coe, said: "It gives me great pleasure to confirm 10 May as the flame lighting date and Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose as the Olympic Flame's arrival point into the UK. My team is looking forward to working with the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Defence and our commercial partners to create exciting events to mark the flame's Greek provenance and its arrival to our shores." It will travel to the UK on board a British Airways flight from Athens, ahead of the 70-day UK relay beginning in Land's End on 19 May. The Greek leg of the torch relay is set to showcase the beauty and history of the Greek mainland and islands to the world, according to London 2012. The second torchbearer on the first day and the penultimate torchbearer on the last day of the Greek leg have been handpicked by London 2012, who are attempting to keep their identities under wraps. As the Olympic flame is classified as symbolic it is allowed to be carried on board an aircraft subject to special authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority. It will travel in a ceremonial lantern that is secured in a specially designed cradle. The flame will arrive in the UK at RNAS Culdrose, near Helston in Cornwall in the early evening of 18 May. An estimated 1,000 guests, media and members of the local community are expected to be present. Coe has said that he expects the arrival of the torch to spark an upsurge in enthusiasm for the Games among the British public, but the relay is also expected to be a magnet for protesters. "I am delighted that Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose will be the first to welcome the Olympic Flame into the UK," said the defence secretary, Philip Hammond. "It is a fantastic opportunity for the Armed Forces to be involved in such a unique event, and one they can take pride in for years to come." A total of 8,000 runners – including 7,200 members of the public – will run an average of 300 metres each with the torch, which will travel through a range of picturesque locations designed to showcase the UK and via a series of unusual methods of transport.