Trains, planes and motorised sled manufacturer Bombardier on Tuesday unveiled the torch it has created to be used for Canada's upcoming Olympic Winter Games.

Inspired by the contours of Canada's winter landscape, the torch is designed to withstand colder temperatures than any other torch in Olympic history and uses a dual burner system to guard against extreme weather conditions.

It will be lit in two days at the birthplace of the Olympics in Greece, then flown back to Canada at month-end for a 45,000km relay, which comes near the North Pole, ahead of the February Games in Vancouver.

Daniel Deschenes, one of its two designers told AFP they looked to Canada's "snow-covered landscape, sculpted by the wind, with traces in the snow or ice left by skiers or skaters" when imagining the torch.

Bombardier's production of 12,000 identical torches began in June and should be completed by December. Some 6,000 are so far ready to criss cross Canada as part of the official Olympic torch relay.

The torches are made from anodized aluminum, stainless steel and a composite compound. The final components are assembled by hand. Each weighs 1.6kg, including fuel, which is a mix of propane and isobutane.

Deschenes said the torch would remain lit through "rain, sleet, snow and wind" and in temperatures from -40 degrees Celsius to +40 degrees Celsius.

AFP