LONDON, June 26: The Olympic flame took to Wimbledon's Centre Court on Saturday and, almost inevitably, sub four-minute mile record breaker Roger Bannister had to shelter from the rain in the royal box for the launch ceremony.

The flame, on a six-week global odyssey before the Athens Olympics, is back in Britain for the first time in more than 50 years and London put on a giant party to welcome it with a string of celebrity torchbearers.

Bannister lit the flame on Centre Court and then handed over the torch to British tennis player Tim Henman, already an Olympic silver medal winner but now, above all, hoping to become Britain's first Wimbledon men's champion in 68 years.

The flame flickered in the rain as Henman, waving to the crowds, went past a guard of honour of ball boys and ball girls to hand over to compatriot Virginia Wade, who landed the women's singles title at Wimbledon in 1977.

Bannister said that if the clock was put back and he was a young again he would be desperate to go to Athens.

"If I had real talent, I would be craving for an Olympic medal," he said.

Bannister, marking the 50th anniversary this year of his historic feat, said the Olympic movement was a success but "the administration of the Games has to fight to keep it as pure as it can".

Henman, who won a silver medal in the Atlanta doubles, said: "It's the pinnacle of sport isn't it?"

London is bidding to stage the Olympics for the third time in 2012.

"The last time we did it was in 1948 when everyone was turning from war to sport," Bannister said. "I would like us to do it again. We could do it and I hope we shall."

From boxer Frank Bruno to triple jumper Jonathan Edwards, a host of former sports stars are carrying the torch past London's most famous landmarks - The Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral and Trafalgar Square.

The journey is to end in the Mall, the sweeping avenue leading up to Buckingham Palace, where five times Olympic rowing champion Steven Redgrave will light a traditional Olympic cauldron.

London's impromptu Olympic street party then wraps up with a free six-hour concert for 70,000 people that stars Rod Stewart, James Brown and Ozzy Osbourne.

The flame is taking in 33 cities in 34 days and for the first time is taking in all five continents represented by the rings on the Olympic symbol.-Reuters