MANITOBA – Winnipeggers braved the bitter cold temperatures and enthusiastically welcomed the 2010 Olympic torch relay on its arrival earlier this month and enjoyed its presence in the province until it’s departure for western Canada on January 9th.

In Winnipeg, the torch arrived late afternoon of Tuesday, January 5th at the Ed Golding Memorial Arena on Pandora Ave. It made its way through Transcona, Elmwood and St. Boniface on its way to The Forks at around 7:00 p.m. for the Olympic Torch Relay Community Celebration.

Despite bone-chilling temperatures hovering around -28ºC with -40ºC wind-chill, Winnipeggers lined the streets cheering the Olympic torchbearers as they lit the streets carrying the Olympic flame.

At The Forks, thousands of people cheered the arrival of the Olympic torch and watched performances on stage by talents like the Filipino-Canadian Brakada, Tracy Bone, Chic Gamine, Norman Chief Memorial Dancers and Doc Walker. Fireworks lit the sky to end the community festivities that night.

From Winnipeg’s Filipino community, some of those chosen to be torchbearers were RBC’s Orlando Sanchez, St. Boniface Diocesan High School’s Ross Naringahon and Sheryl De Leon, and H.C. Avery School’s Regina Grace Olazo.

On January 9th, the Olympic torch completed its journey after passing through the streets of Neepawa and Brandon on its way through southern Manitoba travelling west to its final destination at the Winter Olympics, which will run from February 12 to 28 in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.