Olympic flame in London

The Olympic flame for the 2008 Beijing Games under the slogan "Light the Passion, Share the Dream" was passing in London today. It arrived in London from St Petersburg as part of its journey to the Beijing 2008 games.


It was probably planned to be a peaceful show that highlights the Torch's reason - purity, the endeavor for perfection and union of cultures/countries - but instead became a protesting flashmob.

LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters waving Tibetan flags and shouting "Shame on China" disrupted the Olympic torch's marathon relay through London on Sunday, billed as a journey of harmony and peace.

The protesters were against China's crackdown in Tibet, its failure to stop the bloodshed in Sudan's Darfur region and its human rights politics.

It was a bit scary to see several guys being arrested because of irrational behaviour. Poor runners holding torch...guess, they had a truely extreme experience...


















Please press here to watch the video on Olympic flame in London.

Though there was a huge crowd of people and many pro-active protestants I've got a chance to see the Olympic flame with my own eyes...one eye, to be frank, as another was tracking the camera screen while taking pictures :)

Inspite of that I got excited about attending the event as it gave me so much food for thoughts...

P.S. The Olympic flame is a practice continued from the ancient Olympic Games. In Olympia (Greece), a flame was ignited by the sun and then kept burning until the closing of the Olympic Games. The flame first appeared in the modern Olympics at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. The flame itself represents a number of things, including purity and the endeavor for perfection. In 1936, the chairman of the organizing committee for the 1936 Olympic Games, Carl Diem, suggested what is now the modern Olympic Torch relay. The Olympic flame is lit at the ancient site of Olympia by women wearing ancient-style robes and using a curved mirror and the sun. The Olympic Torch is then passed from runner to runner from the ancient site of Olympia to the Olympic stadium in the hosting city. The flame is then kept alight until the Games have concluded. The Olympic Torch relay represents a continuation from the ancient Olympic Games to the modern Olympics.