Two code names helped keep secret the details of London's 2012 Olympic cauldron. And here's the scoop: "Frank" and "Betty."
AP Television's Dorothee Thiesing has spent the day at the company in northern England that forged the intricate copper petals — and they revealed the names together with full details of the construction.
In a twist worthy of the opening ceremony's James Bond segment, the stems and petals of the cauldron were codenamed "Betty"; the more functional base structure and mechanical lifting apparatus were codenamed 'Frank.'
The major challenge was to build 204 individual petals, each one of a unique shape and form.
"It's been a major secret and they really didn't want anybody to know," said sales director Simon Wood. "but we're quite used to dealing with that kind of situation, a lot of work we do is secret and the people here, they can't talk to anybody."
"It's a bit James Bond really," Wood added with a smile.
—Dorothee Thiesing.
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