2008 Woodie Awards
Running of Olympic torch draws controversy around the globe
Chuck Platt '10
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: Sports
Per tradition, the Olympic torch was lit at the site of the ancient games in Olympia, Greece, on March 25. After a brief stop in Beijing, host city of this summer's Games of the XXIX Olympiad, the torch relay commenced. Over the next several months the Olympic flame will visit all inhabited continents, traveling over 85,000 miles before arriving back in Beijing for the Game's Opening Ceremonies on August 8.
The torch relay, a precursor to all Olympic Games since 1936, seldom makes headlines outside of the Game's host country.
That, however, has not been the case this time around.
In light of China's controversial human rights record and, specifically, the ongoing unrest in Tibet, the route of the torch relay has often, over the past month, been the site of protests. Generally the protests have been peaceful demonstrations. However, in the cities of London, Paris, San Francisco, and Buenos Aires, the protests were more pronounced, although not violent.
After traveling to Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey without incident, the torch relay passed through London on April 6 and Paris on April 7. In both of those cities there were multiple attempts by protesters to extinguish the flame and disrupt its running. In Paris, the Chinese authorities responsible for the torch relay axed plans for a final stop at Paris city hall and took the torch directly to the airport, eschewing the final portion of the route.
In San Francisco, where the torch was run on April 9, relay authorities used similar tactics to thwart protests as they had in Paris. The planned route, where both protesters as well as supporters were waiting, was thrown out and an alternate route was drawn up. Much like in Paris, plans for a closing ceremony to the day's events were scrapped, and the torch was taken to the airport.
In Buenos Aires on April 11, protesters went as far as to establish an "alternative" torch, dubbed the "human rights torch". It was paraded along the planned route that the true Olympic torch was to have been run on. However relay routes were redrawn to avoid confrontations.
The torch relay, a precursor to all Olympic Games since 1936, seldom makes headlines outside of the Game's host country.
That, however, has not been the case this time around.
In light of China's controversial human rights record and, specifically, the ongoing unrest in Tibet, the route of the torch relay has often, over the past month, been the site of protests. Generally the protests have been peaceful demonstrations. However, in the cities of London, Paris, San Francisco, and Buenos Aires, the protests were more pronounced, although not violent.
After traveling to Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey without incident, the torch relay passed through London on April 6 and Paris on April 7. In both of those cities there were multiple attempts by protesters to extinguish the flame and disrupt its running. In Paris, the Chinese authorities responsible for the torch relay axed plans for a final stop at Paris city hall and took the torch directly to the airport, eschewing the final portion of the route.
In San Francisco, where the torch was run on April 9, relay authorities used similar tactics to thwart protests as they had in Paris. The planned route, where both protesters as well as supporters were waiting, was thrown out and an alternate route was drawn up. Much like in Paris, plans for a closing ceremony to the day's events were scrapped, and the torch was taken to the airport.
In Buenos Aires on April 11, protesters went as far as to establish an "alternative" torch, dubbed the "human rights torch". It was paraded along the planned route that the true Olympic torch was to have been run on. However relay routes were redrawn to avoid confrontations.
Be the first to comment on this story