Kicking off in Paris, which hosted the first international deaf sports competition in 1924, the flame will embark on its journey on Saturday (June 29), travelling through France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia before arriving in the Bulgarian capital which is due to host the Games from July 26.

The Flame will be lit at the Stade Pershing in the Bois de Vincennes at the memorial to the first-ever international deaf sports competition, and will then be carried by miners torches as the cyclists make their way across Europe.

"For the first time ever, a flame relay will link the home of the first Deaflympics in Paris to the Host City." said International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) President Craig Crowley.

"On the sports field as on the roads, deafness has all too often been overlooked.

"This flame relay allows us to celebrate our 89 years of presence as an international sports movement, while also raising awareness of deaf cyclists as road users.

"I very much look forward to seeing the flame along the way and to greeting it in Sofia."

The 2013 Deaflympics Flame Relay will stop off in Lausanne, home to the IOC headquarters, on its way to Sofia

The flame will be carried by cyclists through France to the Olympic capital, Lausanne in Switzerland, where two more lamps will be lit from the original lamp.

From Lausanne the route will split, with two lamps carried by cyclists through Switzerland to Germany, then Austria, to Slovenia.

The remaining two lamps will be carried through Switzerland to Italy and then also to Slovenia, where the flames will merge again before being carried together through Croatia and Serbia, before finally arriving in the host country of Bulgaria.

Riders will also wear GoPro cameras on their helmets as they undertake the Relay, and efforts will be made to ensure there is a photo opportunity at bicycle lanes or near a road where there is a need for bicycle lanes.

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