For more information, contact:
The St. Louis Sports Commission
314-992-0687
sports@stlouissports.org

ROUTE FOR ATHENS 2004 OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY THROUGH ST. LOUIS ANNOUNCED

ST. LOUIS – May 27, 2004 – Three weeks from today the Olympic flame will be carried throughout the St. Louis region on its worldwide journey to the Summer Games in Athens, Greece. Local organizers of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay today received permission to announce the route that the flame will travel while in St. Louis June 17. A map appears at the end of this release.

Following a brief ceremony on the Overlook Stage at Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard, the relay will begin at 1 p.m. at the base of the steps of the Gateway Arch. From there, the flame will travel 34 miles around the St. Louis metropolitan area, passing through many of the community's distinctive neighborhoods and past several notable landmarks.

Areas on the route include downtown St. Louis, Soulard, Saint Louis University, Fairground Park, the Central West End, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, The Hill, Maplewood, Webster Groves, Rock Hill, Brentwood, Richmond Heights, Clayton and University City. The flame will also be carried into Francis Field at Washington University, site of the 1904 Olympics. The relay will end at Art Hill in Forest Park. An end-of-relay celebration commemorating the centennial of St. Louis' Olympic Games will take place on Art Hill at 7:30 p.m. The final torchbearer is estimated to arrive at 8:45 p.m. Details on the celebration will be announced at a news conference Thursday, June 3.

St. Louis is one of only four American cities and one of only 34 cities worldwide that are part of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay – the first-ever global relay. The Olympic flame – originally lit in Olympia, Greece on March 25 – will arrive in St. Louis by plane from Los Angeles at approximately 10:30 a.m. on June 17. More than 125 torchbearers will carry the flame in St. Louis. The map of the route, additional Olympic Torch Relay information and details on the end-of-day community celebration can be found on the St. Louis Sports Commission's web site at www.stlsports.org.

The ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay is presented by Coca-Cola and Samsung. Planning for the Olympic Torch Relay in St. Louis is being conducted by a local task force that includes representatives from the City of St. Louis, Brentwood, Clayton, Maplewood, Richmond Heights, Rock Hill, University City, Webster Groves, Central States Coca-Cola Bottling Company of St. Louis, the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, Saint Louis University, Samsung, St. Louis 2004, the St. Louis Greek-American Community, the St. Louis Sports Commission, and Washington University. The relay is part of Celebrate 2004 – the region's yearlong civic celebration marking the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark expedition, the centennial of the World's Fair and Olympics in St. Louis, and recent revitalization accomplishments.