Police used stun grenades and tear gas to clear protesters in the path of the Olympic torch in a poor suburb of Rio de Janeiro yesterday.
Anti-government protesters in Duque de Caixas threw rocks and blocked the torch’s path. Police had to use
pepper spray and rubber bullets to control the crowd.
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Showing posts with label Olympic Torch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olympic Torch. Show all posts
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Monday, May 21, 2012
Another Bad Omen - Olympic Torch Goes Out Again
On 10 May the Olympic torch was blown out by a gust of wind in Olympia Greece.
As if the gods were driving the message home, that Olympic torch has yet again gone out, this time in the UK. The BBC reports that torch was attached to the side of David Follett's wheelchair in Great Torrington, Devon, when it went out.
A replacement was brought out from the convoy of vehicles.
Is someone/something trying to send a message about these games?
Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics
Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
As if the gods were driving the message home, that Olympic torch has yet again gone out, this time in the UK. The BBC reports that torch was attached to the side of David Follett's wheelchair in Great Torrington, Devon, when it went out.
A replacement was brought out from the convoy of vehicles.
Is someone/something trying to send a message about these games?
Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics
Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A Bad Omen - Ill Wind Blows Flame Out
The Olympic flame was lit in Olympia Greece today, and then (according to Paul Kelso) was blown out by the wind.
Is this ill wind a bad omen for the London Olympics, or for Greece?
Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics
Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Is this ill wind a bad omen for the London Olympics, or for Greece?
Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics
Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Friday, March 23, 2012
A Nice Little Earner - Torchbearers Charged For Torch
However, not everyone will have to pay the charge (if they want to keep the torch). Some sponsors of the torchbearers (eg Coca-Cola) have stated that the torchbearers it nominates will not have to pay.
Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics
Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com
www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Torch To Ascend Everest
The Olympic torch for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will ascend to the top of Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, and pass through Taiwan according to the organising committee.
Wang Wei, executive vice-president and secretary-general of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, said that the torch would cross Mount Everest.
Wang also said Taiwan had agreed that the island would be on the Olympic torch relay programme.
Taiwan had previously indicated that it was not agreeable to the torch entering the island via China's mainland or Hong Kong and Macao, which are special administrative regions of China.
Wang said the route of the relay was still under discussion with interested cities.
Wang Wei, executive vice-president and secretary-general of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, said that the torch would cross Mount Everest.
Wang also said Taiwan had agreed that the island would be on the Olympic torch relay programme.
Taiwan had previously indicated that it was not agreeable to the torch entering the island via China's mainland or Hong Kong and Macao, which are special administrative regions of China.
Wang said the route of the relay was still under discussion with interested cities.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Samsung Makes Full Use of the Olympics
Samsung is trying to make full use of its sponsorship of the Turni Winter Olympics, and has opned a showroom in Turin.
However, some local and global civic groups are not so impressed and have been criticising the International Olympic Committee and its official sponsors in Turin over the commercialisation of the Olympics.
A number of different anti-globalisation groups held demonstrations all over Italy during the Olympic torch relay, which was exclusively sponsored by Samsung and Coca Cola.
There was even an attempt to burn a Samsung flag, by students of Turin University, when the torch relay neared the city on Friday. The demonstration was intended to fight excessive corporate advertising in the Olympics, and the environmental damage resulting from the construction of the venues.
However, some local and global civic groups are not so impressed and have been criticising the International Olympic Committee and its official sponsors in Turin over the commercialisation of the Olympics.
A number of different anti-globalisation groups held demonstrations all over Italy during the Olympic torch relay, which was exclusively sponsored by Samsung and Coca Cola.
There was even an attempt to burn a Samsung flag, by students of Turin University, when the torch relay neared the city on Friday. The demonstration was intended to fight excessive corporate advertising in the Olympics, and the environmental damage resulting from the construction of the venues.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Security Nightmare
The security issues surrounding the forthcoming Winter Olympics, which open in Turin later today, are proving to be quite a headache for the organisers.
Authorities are spending over $100m on security, with 15,000 police officers being deployed.
There will be a no-fly zone over the city, as 15 heads of state attend today's opening ceremony.
Yesterday the Olympic flame was diverted in Turin, to avoid protests over a planned local high-speed rail link and over spending on the Games.
The Italian government are focusing on two issues; the possibility of a Muslim protest about the Danish cartoons and a very aggressive series of demonstrations from Italian anarchists and subversive groups.
Two Nato surveillance aircraft will enforce the no-fly ban over Turin during the opening ceremony.
The torch relay carrying the Olympic flame around Italy has already been disrupted several times during its two-month trip.
Protesters say that tunnelling for the railway in the Susa valley, where some of the events will be held, will ruin the environment and release asbestos and uranium into the atmosphere.
One protester is quoted by Reuters as saying:
"These are dirty Games because they have spent huge amounts of money and we don't know what use it will be in the future."
The question is, are the Olympics now proving to be just too expensive and too disrupting to be held anymore?
Authorities are spending over $100m on security, with 15,000 police officers being deployed.
There will be a no-fly zone over the city, as 15 heads of state attend today's opening ceremony.
Yesterday the Olympic flame was diverted in Turin, to avoid protests over a planned local high-speed rail link and over spending on the Games.
The Italian government are focusing on two issues; the possibility of a Muslim protest about the Danish cartoons and a very aggressive series of demonstrations from Italian anarchists and subversive groups.
Two Nato surveillance aircraft will enforce the no-fly ban over Turin during the opening ceremony.
The torch relay carrying the Olympic flame around Italy has already been disrupted several times during its two-month trip.
Protesters say that tunnelling for the railway in the Susa valley, where some of the events will be held, will ruin the environment and release asbestos and uranium into the atmosphere.
One protester is quoted by Reuters as saying:
"These are dirty Games because they have spent huge amounts of money and we don't know what use it will be in the future."
The question is, are the Olympics now proving to be just too expensive and too disrupting to be held anymore?
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Winter Blues
There seem to be a number of glitches in the preparations for the forthcoming Winter Olympics, which start in Turin this Friday.
Transport seems to be an issue, last week two British Olympic staff were stuck in traffic for five hours between Turin and the mountain venue of Sestriere because of heavy snowfall and an accident on the road.
Organising committee chief, Cesare Vaciago, has indeed admitted that the biggest problem involves transportation.
Ensuring that Italian drivers respect the lanes reserved for Olympic vehicles and making sure bus drivers know their way around, will be a major headache.
Over 2,000 bus drivers have been drafted in from all around Italy, and many are not familiar with the local roads.
It also seems that there are issues with regard to the number of spectators, specifically there are not enough; 700,000 tickets, 85% of the available volume, have been sold. Therefore organisers have arranged to bus in coach loads of Italian schoolchildren, to boost crowds during the Games.
The Olympic torch relay has also encountered problems, it has been subject to various protests along the route.
On Sunday, it had to be diverted in a northern valley to avoid demonstrations opposed to a high-speed rail link.
Given the recent outbreak of flag burning, and threats to Europeans, by Muslim fanatics security is also an issue.
Special security measures, including the deployment of 15,000 police and military personnel, are in place to protect the Games as a whole. A meeting of law enforcement agencies was convened on Monday to discuss security concerns.
Transport seems to be an issue, last week two British Olympic staff were stuck in traffic for five hours between Turin and the mountain venue of Sestriere because of heavy snowfall and an accident on the road.
Organising committee chief, Cesare Vaciago, has indeed admitted that the biggest problem involves transportation.
Ensuring that Italian drivers respect the lanes reserved for Olympic vehicles and making sure bus drivers know their way around, will be a major headache.
Over 2,000 bus drivers have been drafted in from all around Italy, and many are not familiar with the local roads.
It also seems that there are issues with regard to the number of spectators, specifically there are not enough; 700,000 tickets, 85% of the available volume, have been sold. Therefore organisers have arranged to bus in coach loads of Italian schoolchildren, to boost crowds during the Games.
The Olympic torch relay has also encountered problems, it has been subject to various protests along the route.
On Sunday, it had to be diverted in a northern valley to avoid demonstrations opposed to a high-speed rail link.
Given the recent outbreak of flag burning, and threats to Europeans, by Muslim fanatics security is also an issue.
Special security measures, including the deployment of 15,000 police and military personnel, are in place to protect the Games as a whole. A meeting of law enforcement agencies was convened on Monday to discuss security concerns.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Poor Ticket Sales For Turin
With only one month to go until the start of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, only half of the one million tickets have been sold.
In theory, organisers hope to eventually sell around 850K tickets. However, expectations of a boost after the Olympic torch began its two-month tour the length and breadth of Italy in early December have not been realised.
The main problem is that there has been little or no publicity in Italy for the Games.
Italy-wide advertising has suffered from cuts in marketing expenses during a series of cash crises over the past year.
In theory, organisers hope to eventually sell around 850K tickets. However, expectations of a boost after the Olympic torch began its two-month tour the length and breadth of Italy in early December have not been realised.
The main problem is that there has been little or no publicity in Italy for the Games.
Italy-wide advertising has suffered from cuts in marketing expenses during a series of cash crises over the past year.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Turin Torch Relay
The Olympic flame will begin its Turin relay, in time for the Winter Olympics (which start on the 10th of February 2006), on the 8th of December.
It will be carried by Venetian gondolas, horses and a Ferrari across Italy.
Italy's Stefano Baldini, the marathon champion at the Athens Olympics, will be the first of 10,000 torchbearers.
Each bearer will carry the flame for about 400 yards.
On its first day in Italy, the torch will pass by St. Peter's Square to receive a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI.
One small neighborhood association in Rome said last week it would block the Olympic torch from its streets, because the relay is sponsored by Coca-Cola.
It will be carried by Venetian gondolas, horses and a Ferrari across Italy.
Italy's Stefano Baldini, the marathon champion at the Athens Olympics, will be the first of 10,000 torchbearers.
Each bearer will carry the flame for about 400 yards.
On its first day in Italy, the torch will pass by St. Peter's Square to receive a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI.
One small neighborhood association in Rome said last week it would block the Olympic torch from its streets, because the relay is sponsored by Coca-Cola.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Olympics Torch Stolen
A torch used to carry the Olympic Flame, for the 1998 Winter Games in Japan, has been stolen from the Nagano Olympic Museum.
The museum allowed visitors to handle the torch, which was retained by a wire to prevent it from being stolen. However, the wire was cut; and the torch stolen.
This is one of a 1000 Olympic torches, made for the 1998 Winter Games held in Nagano. The museum has one other torch left.
The museum allowed visitors to handle the torch, which was retained by a wire to prevent it from being stolen. However, the wire was cut; and the torch stolen.
This is one of a 1000 Olympic torches, made for the 1998 Winter Games held in Nagano. The museum has one other torch left.
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Kudos To The Organisers
Last night's opening ceremony, for the Olympics 2004, thankfully went without a hitch or unpleasant incident.
The story of Greece, both historical and mythological, was re-enacted in tableau form; against the backdrop of the Olympic stadium, which had been flooded with water.
My compliments to the organisers.
One interesting point, which I have only just come across, is that the torch ceremony of lighting the Olympic cauldron is not an ancient ritual stemming from the original Olympic Games.
It seems that the ancient Greeks opened their games by heralds, not fire. This ritual was in fact created by Hitler, during the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Even the Rings, much beloved symbol of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), aren't what they seem to be.
They were designed in 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the IOC, for the 1916 Olympics. These Games were not held, as the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria started World War I.
The resurrection of the Rings fell to Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler's official film maker. In order to give some "historical backdrop" for her film "Olympia, which chronicled the 1936 Olympic Games, Riefenstahl had the Rings carved into a stone altar in the Greek city of Delphi. This was meant to give some backing to Hitler's crackpot theories about Aryan links to the gods etc.
So much for ancient symbolism!
The story of Greece, both historical and mythological, was re-enacted in tableau form; against the backdrop of the Olympic stadium, which had been flooded with water.
My compliments to the organisers.
One interesting point, which I have only just come across, is that the torch ceremony of lighting the Olympic cauldron is not an ancient ritual stemming from the original Olympic Games.
It seems that the ancient Greeks opened their games by heralds, not fire. This ritual was in fact created by Hitler, during the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Even the Rings, much beloved symbol of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), aren't what they seem to be.
They were designed in 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the IOC, for the 1916 Olympics. These Games were not held, as the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria started World War I.
The resurrection of the Rings fell to Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler's official film maker. In order to give some "historical backdrop" for her film "Olympia, which chronicled the 1936 Olympic Games, Riefenstahl had the Rings carved into a stone altar in the Greek city of Delphi. This was meant to give some backing to Hitler's crackpot theories about Aryan links to the gods etc.
So much for ancient symbolism!
Wednesday, June 9, 2004
The Great Wall Illuminated by The Olympic Flame
The Olympic flame has arrived in Beijing, the host of the 2008 Olympic Games.
The flame was brought to the Great Wall of China, one of the great construction achievements of mankind.
The torch was carried along a section of the wall by a group of Chinese athletes yesterday. There was a reasonable turnout of spectators, estimated to be around 2000 people.
The official relay with the Olympic torch will begin today, and kick off in Tiananemn Square. It will finish its Chinese journey in the Summer Palace.
Meanwhile in Greece, P. Fasoulas (former President of the Greek Olympic Winners Association) has called those who doubt that the Olympic games will be ready on schedule "moaning Minnies".
In a press conference held yesterday, he expressed the opinion that it was impertinent to suggest that nothing was ready.
No worries then!
The flame was brought to the Great Wall of China, one of the great construction achievements of mankind.
The torch was carried along a section of the wall by a group of Chinese athletes yesterday. There was a reasonable turnout of spectators, estimated to be around 2000 people.
The official relay with the Olympic torch will begin today, and kick off in Tiananemn Square. It will finish its Chinese journey in the Summer Palace.
Meanwhile in Greece, P. Fasoulas (former President of the Greek Olympic Winners Association) has called those who doubt that the Olympic games will be ready on schedule "moaning Minnies".
In a press conference held yesterday, he expressed the opinion that it was impertinent to suggest that nothing was ready.
No worries then!
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