•         Watch live on: http://www.london2012.com/torch-relay/video/live.html

Two Belgacom employees, Katrien De Pillecyn and Rene Van Doren have been selected as 2012 Olympic Torch bearers, taking part in the Olympic Torch Relay as part of the Samsung “Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay” programme.

Both will run on day 28 of the relay on the 15th June when the torch will travel from Alnwick to Newcastle Upon Tyne in the UK. 

The Torch Relay, which is 8000 miles long, will see each participant running about 400 metres each before handing the torch over to the next runner. Having started in Lands End at 6.00 am on the 19th May the relay will follow a carefully choreographed route throughout the UK and will pass within 10 miles of 95% of the UK population.

Samsung sent 10 Belgians to the Torch Relay, all chosen by the public, eight of them via a Facebook campaign. Once all the votes were in, Katrien and Rene soon received a call from Samsung to confirm they had been selected and were then officially presented with their places at a press conference on the 16th May at the Heizel Stadium in Belgium.

Both Katrien and Rene were selected because of their unique contribution to local communities and their demonstration of the Olympic spirit.

Two years ago Katrien was diagnosed with MS. Still she remains a positive woman who makes plans and strives to realize her dreams. She's a fighter who has decided that what happens to her body cannot get to her spirit. Before her illness, she used to climb a mountain every year, such as the Himalaya and the Kilimanjaro. Nowadays this isn't possible anymore, but despite her condition she doesn't give up and she inspires others to get more out of themselves. In 2012 she wants to take the Inca trail on Machu Picchu with a group of MS patients. Their goal: to show that they still have a lot to give, and to win a victory over themselves. It is this positive attitude that led to her being selected for the Torch Relay.

Both in the field of business and in sports, René reaches for the top. Every year he achieves great results in the 20 Km of Brussels. But he also competes in other races. In 2010 for example, he ran the marathon of New York. His colleagues and his clients appreciate him for his remarkable personality: an immense will power, patient, eager, and a positive disposition. Réne lives and breathes the Olympic spirit.

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About Telindus
Telindus Limited, the UK ICT arm of the Belgacom Group, delivers solutions to service provider, corporate and public sector organisations. The Telindus Group offers global ICT solutions encompassing converged voice, data and video, data centre networking, secure network applications, cloud and unified communications solutions.

With its strong positions in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Luxembourg, the Telindus Group strengthens the Belgacom Group's presence on the European telecom market. Additional information can be found at http://www.telindus.co.uk/.