Dubious
Origins: The first Olympic torch relay in Nazi-ruled Berlin, 1936.
NRC
Handelsblad, The Netherlands
'Megalomania':
It's Time to Scale Down Olympic Torch Relay
"This is megalomania … Let
the Olympic Games remain what they are: a beautiful global sporting event.
Nothing more is necessary."
EDITORIAL
Translated By Meta Mertens
April 9, 2008
The
Netherlands - NRC Handelsblad - Original Article (Dutch)
San Francisco
today is preparing itself for the tour of the Olympic torch through the
city. Because massive protest actions
are being expected along its route, authorities have taken strict security
measures. Not without reason, for in Paris and London this week, the torch
relay already got considerably out of hand. Huge numbers of demonstrators seized
the opportunity to protest China's human rights violations in general and those
in Tibet in particular.
The International
Olympic Committee may believe that as far as possible the Games should remain
immune to politics, but the reality is quite different. The Olympics are often
seen as a chance to focus attention on the abuses in the country in which they
are being held. The atmosphere of international fraternity that the Olympic
organizers of had in mind has been disrupted in advance. The reaction of the
Chinese authorities and citizens range from simply denying that the protests
are taking place to an attitude of hurt national pride.
Symbols are a
part of the Olympic Games and contribute to its charm. Nevertheless, there is
justification for asking what the meaning is of dragging a torch across the
entire globe. In any case, the relay loses its shine when it serves mainly as a
backdrop for angry demonstrators and when athletes bearing the torch must be
protected.
The flame itself
is a reminder of the role it has played in the Olympic Games and throughout
human history. But the historical significance of the torch relay is relatively
dubious. The Olympic flame was first lit in Amsterdam in 1928. The first torch
relay was first carried out in Berlin in 1936 WATCH 
. There, the torch
was carried into the stadium in the presence of the Fuhrer as spectators and
soldiers gave the Hitler greeting. To put it mildly, there are traditions with
far more glorious origins.
[Editor's Note:
Hitler saw the link with the ancient Games as a way to illustrate his belief
that classical Greece was an Aryan forerunner of the German Reich. The first
relay torch was lit in Greece with the help of mirrors made by the German
company Zeiss. Steel-clad magnesium torches to carry the flame were specially
produced by German industrial giant Krupp. Dramatic regular radio coverage of
the torch's progress kept up the excitement, and Leni Riefenstahl filmed it to
create powerful images 
].
In 1936, the
relay covered 2,126 miles from Greece via Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and
Czechoslovakia to Germany. Since then, every four years the Olympic flame has
been carried from Olympia to the organizing city. At which point commercialism
took hold. The organizers of the 1984 Los Angeles Games sold every kilometer of
the tour to interested parties, and a certain marketer of cola was prominently
displayed [Coca-Cola].
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Four years ago,
the torch, which had to go from Olympia to Athens, traveled 48,466 miles. And
this year is no different. Distributed throughout the world, runners are
carting the flame through 21 cities, after which the torch will arrive in
Beijing on August 8th. This is megalomania. IOC Vice President Gosper has
called for the trip to be restricted to the direct route between Olympia and
the organizing city. This won’t deter future demonstrators, but there is a lot
to be said for a relay of more modest dimensions. Let the Olympic Games remain
what they are: a beautiful global sporting event. Nothing more is necessary.
Les Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace, France
The Route of the
Olympic Torch: A
'Way of the Cross'
http://worldmeets.us/dna000019.shtml
Le Figaro, France
The Passage of
the Torch: In a
Word, a 'Fiasco'
http://worldmeets.us/lefigaro0000209.shtml
Le Monde, France
'Reassuring News' from
the 2008 Beijing Games
http://worldmeets.us/lemonde0000174.shtml
Wen Wei Po, Hong Kong
'Mental Complexes'
Result in Western
Sympathy for Tibet
http://worldmeets.us/wenweipo000002.shtml
Xinhua, People's Republic of China
The Hypocrisy of Pelosi
and 'Those of Her Ilk' ...
http://worldmeets.us/xinhuanet000007.shtml
The Global Geographic Times, People's Republic of China
Exposing the 'Weak Rib'
of Olympic Politicization
http://worldmeets.us/globalgeographictimes000002.shtml
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DUTCH VERSION
[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US April
11, 10:00am]
