The Flame of Hope can refer to one of two symbolic flames. One is affiliated with Dr. Frederick Banting

Frederick Banting

Sir Frederick Grant Banting, KBE, MC, FRS, FRSC was a Canadian medical scientist, doctor and Nobel laureate noted as one of the main discoverers of insulin....

 and the other with the Special Olympics

Special Olympics

Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....

.

Dr. Frederick Banting

This flame of hope that was lit in 1989 as a tribute to Dr. Frederick Banting, who in 1922 discovered insulin

Insulin

Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....

, and all the people that have lost their lives to diabetes. The flame will remain lit until there is a cure for diabetes.
The flame is located at Sir Fredrick Banting Square in London, Ontario

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

The Special Olympics

This flame of hope is a symbol of the Special Olympics. Used much in the same spirit as the Olympic Flame

Olympic Flame

The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...

 at the Olympic Games

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

, the Flame of Hope is lit during a special traditional ceremony in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

, Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 in the months running up to the Special Olympics World Games

Special Olympics World Games

The Special Olympics World Games are an international sporting competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities, organized by Special Olympics....

. It is then relayed on foot by Special Olympics athletes and members of law enforcement agencies from around the world; this is the culmination of the Law Enforcement Torch Run

Law Enforcement Torch Run

The Law Enforcement Torch Run Campaign to benefit the Special Olympics began in 1981 in Wichita, Kansas and is the largest grass-roots fundraising movement for the Special Olympics....

program, the main fundraising vehicle for Special Olympics.

At the end of its tour, the Flame is used to light a specially made beacon in the stadium which is to be the central location for those World Games.

Sources

• Canada: A Nation Unfolding, McGraw-Hill Ryerson School; 2 edition (Jun 2 2000)