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Ioc To Scrap International Relays!


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Jeez, these events have really shaken up the IOC hard. Now according to some reports some members are talking about scrapping future torch relays totally.

Finnish IOC member backs scrapping torch relay

8.4.2008 at 12:09

Peter Tallberg, a Finnish member of the International Olympic Committee, said Tuesday that he was in favour of scrapping the torch relay in the run-up to the 2012 Olympiad.

On Monday, the torch was extinguished on several occasions amid protests in Paris highlighting human rights violations in China, the host of this year's games. The relay was greeted by protests in London as well on Sunday.

The second day of protests targeting the relay encouraged some IOC members to call for an end to the relay tradition by the London games.

"I very much agree," Mr Tallberg said.

/STT/

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Wow wow wow. I think thats a bit much they just need to hold there breath and get through the next couple of weeks untill it gets to China then it should be ok except maybe when it gets to Tibet. But this is just a bit to knee jerk for me.

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Wow wow wow. I think thats a bit much they just need to hold there breath and get through the next couple of weeks untill it gets to China then it should be ok except maybe when it gets to Tibet. But this is just a bit to knee jerk for me.

Well, I sure doubt, or at least hope, it never comes to that. But one thing's certain, the whole nature of Olympic torch relays has now changed for the time-being at least.

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Jeez, these events have really shaken up the IOC hard. Now according to some reports some members are talking about scrapping future torch relays totally.

Now they're getting hysterical. Even if the UK should still be involved in Iraq by 2012 (which I don't expect), they won't get the same extent of protests like Beijing does right now. Those IOC guys should take a good breath first instead of taking or even suggesting counterproductive actions.

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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.

Maybe this is the IOC's problem, they are way out of touch. This is all bought and paid for by the Chinese government. How much money is put in by the IOC to put on these rallies? The people of France are paying for security. It is the Beijing torch.

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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

Did she really say that?

To call it a "crime" is an absolute lack of respect for all the victims of real crimes around the world.

Some IOC members better get back down to Earth and fast (Lindberg has never struck me as one of the brightest IOC members anyway, just one of the most ambitious and not too subtle about it)...

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Did she really say that?

To call it a "crime" is an absolute lack of respect for all the victims of real crimes around the world.

Some IOC members better get back down to Earth and fast (Lindberg has never struck me as one of the brightest IOC members anyway, just one of the most ambitious and not too subtle about it)...

Lindberg's comments @ the BBC

Swedish IOC member Gunilla Lindberg said the protests were "damaging the Olympic movement".

"I think it is very sad, I get angry.

"Using the torch this way is almost a crime. This is the property of the IOC, it is not a Chinese torch."

Edited by M.Tradeau
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I'm not happy about this. I can't believe this is happening to me. I don't want this to happen.

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Protests May Force Cancellation of the Olympic Torch Relay After San Francisco

Olympic Torch Is Extinguished by Protests in Paris; Will It Stay Lit in California?

By EMILY FRIEDMAN

April 8, 2008

After anti-Chinese protesters wreaked havoc during the Olympic torch relay in Europe the last two days, the head of the International Olympic Committee today raised the possibility that the torch run may have to be canceled.

The option emerged one day before the torch was scheduled to be run in San Francisco, which is braced for protests. Activists already climbed the Golden Gate bridge on Monday and unfurled pro-Tibet banners.

IOC President Jacques Rogge told The Associated Press the committee will consider ending the international leg of the torch relay that leads up to this summer's Beijing Olympics.

Rogge told the AP that he was "deeply saddened" by chaotic protests in London and Paris the last two days and is worried about the upcoming torch relay in San Francisco.

The decision could come as early as Friday, when the committee's executive panel meets.

The torch arrived early today at San Francisco's airport a day after pro-Tibetan protests scaled the Golden Gate bridge to unfurl banners ahead of Wednesday's planned torch run.

ABC News has been told that at least one of the relay runners has pulled out of the event, citing safety concerns.

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Edited by LA84
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I have emailed Rogge and BOCOG.

I told them the flame can find a haven in my place. It is secret; super-safe and I have my killer cat (see avatar) to protect it!!

Also, if they discontinue the Torch relay now, then they'll have a few extra thousand unused torches. Gotta watch eBay more closely now!!

Edited by baron-pierreIV
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The IOC needs to relax & wait & see once the Torch leaves the Americas from Buenos Aires this weekend on it's route to Africa then Asia. All these people that are saying that the relay is just going to get worse the longer the relay goes on are just overreacting like the IOC is doing now. London, Paris, San Francisco & Buesnos Aires are major Western cities with full democracies where people can protest almost whenever they see "fit". Again, hardly anything was heard about from Almaty & St. Petersburg & "some" incidences from Istanbul (like they have any room to talk anyway). So let's wait & see once it leaves the Western Hemishepere. If things still continue they way they are (which seem unlikely), then can cancellation should be brought about. But if things die down or at the very least calm down, then let the relay continue. The only real bumpy road that we would see again is Canberra on the 24th.

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Scrapping the relay outright isn't necessary. The IOC is stupid if they think this is an attack on the Olympic Movement. This is an attack on the policies of the PRC. It is an attempt to embarrass the Chinese government. If anything, it shows the strength of the Olympic Movement. The most visible event in the world, an event that everyone is keeping their eye on.

Didn't the IOC once believe that the Olympics could change Red China? It appears that they are allowing Red China to change the Olympics.

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What do you mean by that exactly?

Meaning that Turkey isn't exactly the poster child for Human Rights. Granted, Turkey's record isn't nearly as bad as China's, but they're not on par with the other major Western Democracies either.

It's kinda like the people telling Bush that he should boycott the opening ceremonies. By him heeding those suggestions would only make him a hypocrite. He's the last person that would need to open his mouth or trying to make a statement about Human Rights by not going to Beijing.

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I don't see the potential for protests in Dar es Salaam or Muscat, but New Delhi, Canberra and Tokyo there will be protests and in Seoul as well, Bangkok is extremely Buddhist and there could be protest there and even in Hong Kong there might be protests against the PRC as there have been in the past. This will get messy.

Thank Buddha they didn't go to Berlin, oh the protests there would have been in the MILLIONS or Rome.

Edited by Faster
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I don't see the potential for protests in Dar es Salaam or Muscat, but New Delhi, Canberra and Tokyo there will be protests and in Seoul as well, Bangkok is extremely Buddhist and there could be protest there and even in Hong Kong there might be protests against the PRC as there have been in the past. This will get messy.

Thank Buddha they didn't go to Berlin, oh the protests there would have been in the MILLIONS or Rome.

Latest news wires also show that protests are planned for Buenos Aires.

BUENOS AIRES, April 8, 2008 (AFP) - Authorities in Buenos Aires are bracing for the Olympic torch's run through the city on Friday, after watching with concern protests that dogged the European and US legs.

The 13-kilometer (eight-mile) relay through the Argentine capital is the only stop the flaming symbol is making in Latin America, giving officials here flashes of pride and preoccupation in equal doses.

So far, activists have announced only one, peaceful demonstration in support of independence for Tibet and against the human rights record of Olympic host China.

But Buenos Aires is taking no chances, especially after seeing the scuffles along the London route, the extinguishing of the torch five times in Paris and a Golden Gate bridge stunt by pro-Tibet protesters in San Francisco.

Argentine police are to guard the torch the moment it arrives on Thursday and accompany it as it is passed along a relay team of national athletes on Friday.

Soccer legend Diego Maradona has been invited to participate in the run, but has not yet confirmed whether he will do so.

Those who will hold the torch aloft include Olymic cyclist Carlos Mauricio Espinola and former tennis champion Gabriela Sabatini.

Aregntina is especially sensitive to China's wish to save face over the Olympic torch run.

China is the main importer of soya, Argentina's principal cash crop which brings in around 24 billion dollars a year.

But Argentina also has its own history dealing with human rights abuses, dating back from its 1976-1983 military dictatorship.

A leftwing militant leader, Ileana Alescio, told AFP on Wednesday that rights protesters were organizing a peaceful march ``to demand that human rights violations in China cease.''

Tibetans, Chinese refugees and practitioners of Falungong, the spiritual movement banned in China, would be taking part, he said, adding that the focus was on rights, not against the Olympic Games themselves.

``We are not against the spirit of the Games,'' he stressed.

``Our aim is to show the contradiction between the Olympic Games and the crimes against human rights in China,'' said Axel Borgia, a spokesman for a group calling itself the World Human Rights Torch Relay.

He said that, unlike in London and Paris, ``the idea is not to extinguish or steal the torch, nor to boycott the Olympics.''

Edited by Sir Roltel
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Latest news wires also show that protests are planned for Buenos Aires.

Yea, a million Brazilians are coming done to protest the torch going to Argentina instead of Brazil.

Buddha Bless Argentina

Edited by Faster
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And for Vancouver you will have the "Free Quebec" protesters in Paris. :lol:
Doubt that. Separatist sentiment in Quebec is almost at its lowest point ever. The federalist Conservative party has strong support here. The Parti Quebecois has just voted to scrap a key part of the platform, being the promise of yet another referendum during their first term, and the Quebec based "Bloc Quebecois" which is a separatist party in Ottawa is undergoing an internal crisis because their "raison d'etre" has fallen apart and even they are questioning their use at this time. Separatism in Quebec is pretty much dormant. It will never happen any. But I digress...
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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.

First of all, I don't support a boycott in any manner. If we are going to continue to do business with China, it's unfair to ask the athletes to sacrifice what they've worked for, while we all run off to Wal-Mart to shop for cheap goods that are made in China.

Having said that, I'm happy to see the IOC struggling with this crap at this point. They darn-well should have known better. As stated before, when China won the rights to the 2008 Games, it was the IOC that told us that giving China the Games would enhance human rights and modernize China. Well, this one has definitely back-fired, and independant analysts claim that in fact, China's human rights record has gotten worse -- not better.

The IOC may like a Games with wonderful venues, no official internal protest, no one questioning the construction budgets or the forced movement of people to construct venues, but along with that comes the risk of exactly what we are experiencing now.

And China deserves this as well for blatantly crushing human rights within Tibet so close to the start of this event. Knowing full well that many people had concerns about awarding the Games to China, they have done an absolutely horrid job of even attempting to pretend that they are easing up and making things better in advance of the Opening Ceremony.

It's almost as if China is shocked -- unable to figure out why the propaganda, threats and terror they invoke on their own people just doesn't seem to stick with the rest of us; we simply don't fall for their lies.

What bugs me even more is now reading that those infamous "men in blue" from Beijing 2008 who are the "flame guardians" we see accompanying the torch are actually Chinese paramilatary members who are they to ensure that things are done according to the way the Chinese want them to be done - even on foreign soil. And even Sebastian Coe is complaining about their tactics. Several torch-bearers have also complained about how they were handled. (see "Men in Blue Protect Olympic Flame") 0408meninblue500big.jpg

And the UK, France and US just allow these thugs to act this way as guests in another country?

So in the end, the IOC is getting exactly what it deserves. I suspect that it will be a long time before China gets to host again -- unless their are drastic changes in the regime. I just feel that these Games are going to go down as being technically outstanding, but with an overtone of anger and protest, and almost a "sterile" sense to them. Pretty venues and ceremonies that in the end, just leave everyone uninspired and lacking in sentiment. I think everyone will see these Games as nothing more than a big Chinese propaganda event once they are over. And the IOC can live with it as far as I'm concerned.

Edited by juan antonio
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What bugs me even more is now reading that those infamous "men in blue" from Beijing 2008 who are the "flame guardians" we see accompanying the torch are actually Chinese paramilatary members who are they to ensure that things are done according to the way the Chinese want them to be done - even on foreign soil. And even Sebastian Coe is complaining about their tactics. Several torch-bearers have also complained about how they were handled. (see "Men in Blue Protect Olympic Flame")

And the UK, France and US just allow these thugs to act this way as guests in another country?

Just for the record, one should mention that Athens 2004 had Greek "flame guardians" as well who travelled with the torch around the world. And back then, there were also some quarrels because the Australian government didn't want to have foreign security personnel protecting the flame on the relay segments in Sydney and Melbourne.

And, watching the torch relays of Athens and Torino, I always had the impression that those "flame guardians" are generally not the friendliest and most gentle people in the world. For example, they always grabbed the arm of the respective torch bearer if she or he didn't hold the torch in the correct way and often had a pretty grim, "non-festive" expression on their faces.

But I've never heard so many complaints about those guardians like this time, though.

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So in the end, the IOC is getting exactly what it deserves. I suspect that it will be a long time before China gets to host again -- unless their are drastic changes in the regime. I just feel that these Games are going to go down as being technically outstanding, but with an overtone of anger and protest, and almost a "sterile" sense to them. Pretty venues and ceremonies that in the end, just leave everyone uninspired and lacking in sentiment. I think everyone will see these Games as nothing more than a big Chinese propaganda event once they are over. And the IOC can live with it as far as I'm concerned.

I agree juan - you are very good discribing what I think...

Edited by Citius Altius Fortius
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Having said that, I'm happy to see the IOC struggling with this crap at this point. They darn-well should have known better.

I agree with you, to a point.

The IOC should have indeed known better, but the Olympic movement is bigger than it's constituent parts - the movement is being tarnished by these protests and this Torch Relay should be abandoned.

Rogge, should actually put his hands up and say this has to end - it would be the only significant detail of his presidency if he did so (He hasn't been a convincing leader, in my eyes).

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Just for the record, one should mention that Athens 2004 had Greek "flame guardians" as well who travelled with the torch around the world. And back then, there were also some quarrels because the Australian government didn't want to have foreign security personnel protecting the flame on the relay segments in Sydney and Melbourne.

And, watching the torch relays of Athens and Torino, I always had the impression that those "flame guardians" are generally not the friendliest and most gentle people in the world. For example, they always grabbed the arm of the respective torch bearer if she or he didn't hold the torch in the correct way and often had a pretty grim, "non-festive" expression on their faces.

But I've never heard so many complaints about those guardians like this time, though.

If you have seen the comparison pictures between Beijing and Athens, Athens usually used 1 or 2, Beijing is surrounding the torch with 10 to 20.

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Many observers are probably acting like this since this is the first time they've seen protests like this for recent Games, but it's certainly not like it's something new that the Olympic movement hasn't seen before. The Olympic Games has survived, boycotts, previous protests, scandals, deadly terrorists attacks & it'll certainly survive this. So the movement isn't going to be 'tarnished' too much by this. This might be a lesson for the IOC, but not it's detriment like some are trying to paint it as so.

After San Francisco (where Richard Gere is going to be involved, go figure), things should quiet down significantly. Buenos Aires might be a little noisy (but should be like Istanbul) with minor incidences. The only other stops that could get roudy are Canberra & probably New Delhi & Nagano.

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