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Ioc To Scrap International Relays!


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BEIJING, April 8 AFP - Olympic chiefs will this week discuss scrapping international torch relays for future Games, following protests that have disrupted the run-up to the Beijing event, officials said today.

The International Olympic Committee executive board will review the future of international legs of the torch relays at its three-day meeting in Beijing that begins on Thursday, Kevan Gosper, a member of the board, told reporters.

Asked whether planning for future torch relays would come up, Gosper said: ``I would expect that the executive committee will review that.''

He said talks would focus on whether the relays should be limited to the country where the Olympics are to be held, rather than a journey around the world.

However there was no suggestion that the IOC chiefs would discuss scrapping the current torch relay for the August Beijing Games.

``My belief is the torch relay will stay on course,'' Gosper said.

``There might be adjustments, but I think it would be wrong, actually, to try and do anything more than try to get the torch through to its ultimate destination.''

Edited by Sir Roltel
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And before anybody says that this is caving in to blackmail and scrapping a tradition, remember, that up until the Athens 2004 relay, the relays have mainly only been internal to the host country, or at the most regional, events.

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I wasn't going to say that, but this has not happen when it has gone to other countries. Yes, it was limited, but is the problem that it is going international or that because it is China.

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I wasn't going to say that, but this has not happen when it has gone to other countries. Yes, it was limited, but is the problem that it is going international or that because it is China.

I posted a similar question in another thread: If the USA was hosting this year, would there have been protests on the international legs about the Iraq War? I think there would have been.

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Guess we'll find out in 2012 since the U.K. is a staunch ally of the U.S. And that's if U.K. organiziners don't scrap the Int. relay. Maybe they think they'll get protesters for that very reason & why they're considering to axe it.

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I posted a similar question in another thread: If the USA was hosting this year, would there have been protests on the international legs about the Iraq War? I think there would have been.

For sure.

I think that the same sort of outcome would have occured with virtually any nation that has allegations about it's past or current political affairs. Seeing how much international attention this has already received, it seems like the perfect opportunity for any political or lobby group to get their message across by disrubing the route of an international relay.

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The international relay was always a mistake right from the beginning. The IOC (and BOCOG) should simply stop this relay right now and move the flame to China and cancel the international Paralympic flame relay. It was just too controversial. And this was only Paris and London! What will happen in California and Sydney where there are more supporters of Tibet? It is a huge embarrassment for China. But they asked for it. They opened themselves up to it.

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I had just learned that in 1964 was already a kind of international torch visiting relay...

True, but it was the Asian stops on the way to Japan.

Similarly, I think the 1956 torch for Melbourne stopped in India on the way, and the Sydney 2000 torch did a tour of Oceania before arriving in Australia.

But I think it was the 2004 relay that was the first that set out to be deliberately multi-continental and international rather than regional.

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True, but it was the Asian stops on the way to Japan.

Similarly, I think the 1956 torch for Melbourne stopped in India on the way, and the Sydney 2000 torch did a tour of Oceania before arriving in Australia.

But I think it was the 2004 relay that was the first that set out to be deliberately multi-continental and international rather than regional.

mhh - you are right

1956:

tor56_4.JPG

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I posted a similar question in another thread: If the USA was hosting this year, would there have been protests on the international legs about the Iraq War? I think there would have been.

The answer is no. Reason being is that the 2008 Olympics in Beijing are being hosted by the People's Republic of China as a showcase for their system and their might.

If it were Boston 2008 instead, it would be the City of Boston hosting the Olympics, and it wouldn't be as an idealistic showcase for the American way of life.

There would be minor protests, some banners, some boos, but nothing to this extent. China has put more on the line with these Games than the Americans would have. For the Chinese, this is a huge national event. For the Americans, the Olympics are cool and all, but they are more a showcase for the region, not the nation.

This is aimed directly at the People's Republic of China and is related to the recent events in Tibet.

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The international relay was always a mistake right from the beginning. The IOC (and BOCOG) should simply stop this relay right now and move the flame to China and cancel the international Paralympic flame relay. It was just too controversial. And this was only Paris and London! What will happen in California and Sydney where there are more supporters of Tibet? It is a huge embarrassment for China. But they asked for it. They opened themselves up to it.

For 2004, to mark the Olympics "Coming Home" to Greece, I thought the international relay was entirely appropriate. But I always thought that should have been a one-off _ why repeat it again?

And as events have proven, that decision to repeat it has been a big mistake.

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Update:

Last night, a spokeswoman for the 2012 Games in London said only that organisers were committed to a domestic torch relay.

``We are firmly committed to a strong domestic leg. We may have an international leg. We just don't know yet,'' the Daily Mail reported.

AFP

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The answer is no. Reason being is that the 2008 Olympics in Beijing are being hosted by the People's Republic of China as a showcase for their system and their might.

If it were Boston 2008 instead, it would be the City of Boston hosting the Olympics, and it wouldn't be as an idealistic showcase for the American way of life.

There would be minor protests, some banners, some boos, but nothing to this extent. China has put more on the line with these Games than the Americans would have. For the Chinese, this is a huge national event. For the Americans, the Olympics are cool and all, but they are more a showcase for the region, not the nation.

This is aimed directly at the People's Republic of China and is related to the recent events in Tibet.

I completely agree. And I'm glad you saved me the bother of writing all that out, becuase that's pretty much what I was going to say. :)

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The answer is no. Reason being is that the 2008 Olympics in Beijing are being hosted by the People's Republic of China as a showcase for their system and their might.

If it were Boston 2008 instead, it would be the City of Boston hosting the Olympics, and it wouldn't be as an idealistic showcase for the American way of life.

There would be minor protests, some banners, some boos, but nothing to this extent. China has put more on the line with these Games than the Americans would have. For the Chinese, this is a huge national event. For the Americans, the Olympics are cool and all, but they are more a showcase for the region, not the nation.

This is aimed directly at the People's Republic of China and is related to the recent events in Tibet.

I don't know about that. If it was Boston 2008 and you had George Bush (or others in his administration) having there photos taken with the torch or having any part of the games as the undoubtedly would. People would go nuts even if the relay was only in America. Even if 1% of people protested thats 3 million people do you think that they would all be peaceful? I could see it turning very nasty very fast.

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I don't know about that. If it was Boston 2008 and you had George Bush (or others in his administration) having there photos taken with the torch or having any part of the games as the undoubtedly would. People would go nuts even if the relay was only in America. Even if 1% of people protested thats 3 million people do you think that they would all be peaceful? I could see it turning very nasty very fast.

Even my American friends told me they would not trust that kind of ideal dumbass thing, why would China as the nation has 1/5 world polulation and fresh start to open to the West has to blame that at the very first time and at such ''warm-welcoming'' level......

This is truly double standards and jealousy. no doubt with that. You won't not gain morally height from that at the end of day. Let's see.

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But see people want to relive the 60s they would go "just to be apart of somthing" and to spit in the eye of George Bush. I think there is a level of hatered in liberal areas that there would be a disruption.

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But see people want to relive the 60s they would go "just to be apart of somthing" and to spit in the eye of George Bush. I think there is a level of hatered in liberal areas that there would be a disruption.

But I don't think if Olympic Games in the USA would be currently associated that much with George W. Bush. I agree with Kendegra on that issue. The White House usually has very little to do with the Olympics since (if I recall correctly) the Games of Los Angeles 1984, Atlanta 1996 and Salt Lake 2002 weren't funded by the federal government at all. In 2002, Bush only took part in the Washington segment of the torch relay and in the opening ceremony, and that was it. As Kendegra already said: But In the USA, the Olympics are not that much of a national event.

In China, it's a completely different thing since the government is strongly connected to the organising committee (for example, the vice president of China, Xi Jinping, is supervisor for the preparations and BOCOG has many CPC members). That shows that the Games are a project in which the whole nation, including the government, takes part. And thus the Beijing Olympics are also strongly associated to the Chinese regime.

So, to cut a long story short: I think that in the lead-up to "American Olympics", there would have been maybe a few protests at neuralgic points. But I don't think that it would have been as massive as now in the lead-up to Beijing.

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Your right in the fact that the government doesn't have much to do with the games. And to tell the truth I only remember Bush at the Opening Ceremony. But you know people like Cindy Shehan (sp) would try to make an issue out of it (for those of you who don't know Cindy's son died in Iraq a few years ago and she frequently gets arrested protesting). And I think if the relay started off with her getting arrested (which I’m sure she would be arrested within the first week). It might be seen as a "call to arms" and things would get out of hand in cities like San Francisco, Seattle, New York and, DC.

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But I don't think if Olympic Games in the USA would be currently associated that much with George W. Bush. I agree with Kendegra on that issue. The White House usually has very little to do with the Olympics since (if I recall correctly) the Games of Los Angeles 1984, Atlanta 1996 and Salt Lake 2002 weren't funded by the federal government at all. In 2002, Bush only took part in the Washington segment of the torch relay and in the opening ceremony, and that was it. As Kendegra already said: But In the USA, the Olympics are not that much of a national event.

In China, it's a completely different thing since the government is strongly connected to the organising committee (for example, the vice president of China, Xi Jinping, is supervisor for the preparations and BOCOG has many CPC members). That shows that the Games are a project in which the whole nation, including the government, takes part. And thus the Beijing Olympics are also strongly associated to the Chinese regime.

So, to cut a long story short: I think that in the lead-up to "American Olympics", there would have been maybe a few protests at neuralgic points. But I don't think that it would have been as massive as now in the lead-up to Beijing.

The Federal government does not have anything to do with the Olympics. Some people do not see that and people who will protest during the Chicago relay will be protesting. Hopeful they will know better to run it through SF.

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The Federal government does not have anything to do with the Olympics. Some people do not see that and people who will protest during the Chicago relay will be protesting. Hopeful they will know better to run it through SF.

Well if Chicago does get it we'll have a Democrat in office by then :P

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One thing, though. If it was a US Olympics, or if it was the UK's 2012 Olympics, or as it was at Sydney's 2000 Olympics, if people wanted to protest peacefully during them (as the Aboriginals did in 2000), they would be allowed to, and their democratic right to peaceful dissent even during their nation's showpiece games would be scrupulously observed, ensured and defended.

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This is damaging the Olympic movement, using the torch this way is almost a crime. This is the property of the IOC, it is not a Chinese torch.

Gunilla Lindberg

Swedish IOC member

The IOC should stop this farce from going any further. Rogge should stand up and say enough is enough, before the movement is tarnished anymore.

Edited by M.Tradeau
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