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I thought so Sword, but am trying to find out.
The Olympic Flame, Olympic Fire, Olympic Torch, Olympic Light, Olympic Eye, and Olympic Sun are all names for an important symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, when a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since. The modern torch relay was introduced by Carl Diem, president of the Organization Committee for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as part of an effort to turn the games into a glorification of the Third Reich
@sword wrote:
Didn’t he run from Olympiakos to Athens (26 miles and whatever yards), that borne the marathon? Isn’t Marathon another city/town in Greece? It’s all tied up somewhere. And didn’t he die on completion of his messenger run?
ahh no ye’ll be referring to that lad Pheidippides b’jaysus……..
He was a soldier who ran from the town of Marathon to either Sparta, or Athens (depending on which ancient Greek historian you favour) after the victorious battle against the Persians.
After pausing for the obligatory BBC interview with Sally Gunnell, and to receive a free mars bar and a blanket made out of tin foil, he announced “We have won ! ” and promptly dropped dead on the spot.
But then again I ain’t read much history that was ever written by the defeated.
well im a bit lost now as to the whys whats and wherefores of this torch, but what were the protesters actually protesting about as i have no clue as to what it is all about ?
Well, it may have been a sacred symbol to the ancient greeks, but is it worth the money to carry it all round the world in this day and age?
whose money is it they use ?
@(f)politics? wrote:
well im a bit lost now as to the whys whats and wherefores of this torch, but what were the protesters actually protesting about as i have no clue as to what it is all about ?
The treatment the Chinese are using on the Tibetans Poli. And there bad human rights record.
@(f)politics? wrote:
whose money is it they use ?
Good point!
Not sure, actually. But each country it visits, they have to have security, police, etc etc etc. Presumably the costs in London would be born by either the city itself, or the Government in some way.
Perhaps the actually transfer of the torch is covered by the Olympic Committee.
It cost £1 million today to police this farce… I’m sure Londoners will be picking up the bill (as ever).
well as long as its only the londoners they can afford it ;) lol x
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