Coventry to host Olympic torch relay on 1 July 2012
- Published
Civic leaders and former Olympic swimmer Jo Deakins celebrate the news
Coventry will be an overnight stop for the Olympic torch next year as it journeys across the UK in the run-up to the 2012 London Games.
The Ricoh Arena in Coventry has been chosen to host Olympic football and has been renamed for the occasion as the City of Coventry Stadium.
The torch is due to arrive in the UK on 18 May 2012 in Land's End, Cornwall.
It should reach Coventry on 1 July and will spend one night in the city before continuing its journey to London.
Naked protest
To celebrate the Games it has been planned that 100 cyclists will propel a 30ft (9.1m) Lady Godiva model from Coventry to London for the games.
Lady Godiva was the wife of an 11th Century West Midlands nobleman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in a protest against city taxes imposed by her own husband.
The Labour-controlled city council said part of the city centre would also be closed to traffic for other Olympic celebrations it was planning for the torch's arrival.
In total 12 men's and women's Olympic matches will be hosted in the city's stadium.
Two matches are scheduled to take place on 25 and 26 July, before the opening ceremony in London on 27 July.