Chris Paterson has launched the search for Olympic torch bearers

Last night BBC Scotland showed archive footage of the last time the Torch toured Scotland in 1948 for the Wembley Games and one of the bearers was a man who had pounded the roads of ANNIESLAND
Andy Forbes of Victoria Park AAC who trained out of Scotstoun and Whiteinch Baths went on to win a silver medal over 6 miles in the Auckland Empire Games of 1950 He could not afford to take time off work as the team sailed to New Zealand but a wealthy Glasgow Business man Sir A B King offered to pay his airfare along with fellow Victoria Park man and silver medalist High Jumper Alan Paterson but even the flight still took about a week However they arrived in better shape than the rest of the team who spent weeks on the ship with the swimmers training in a canvas tank set up on deck



PATERSON SPARKS SEARCH FOR OLYMPIC TORCHBEARERS AND SAVOURS SPECTACULAR SEVENS

Scotland’s most-capped male player has thrown his weight behind the nationwide campaign to nominate suitably inspirational candidates to be torchbearers for the relay that will precede the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Chris Paterson today spoke with enthusiasm about the inclusion of rugby sevens as a core part of both the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and encouraged supporters to get an early taste of what to expect when the HSBC Sevens World Series comes to Murrayfield in the shape of the Emirates Airline Edinburgh 7s on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 May.

This article was originally posted on 19-May-2011, 09:22 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 19-May-2011, 10:30.