The Olympic cauldron has been extinguished and the flame transferred to a lantern as it is relocated to a different part of the Olympic Stadium, Locog has confirmed.

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Organising committee officials said in a statement Monday that the cauldron was shifted from the middle of the stadium's infield to an area near the opening ceremony bell to prepare for the track and field competition which begins Friday.

To make the transition, the Olympic flame was taken from the cauldron and placed in a lantern while the cauldron was moved to the south end of the stadium.

The cauldron was reignited Monday morning by Austin Playfoot, a torchbearer from the 1948 Olympics — when the games were last held in London — and again this year.

Photograph: Paul Hackett / Reuters