2008 Summer Olympics torch relay

Cordoned by police officers and members of the torch's security team, the Olympic Torch passes along Whitehall in London. The torch bearer is retired British athlete Steve Cram.

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Pro-Tibet protester attempting to grab the torch from torch-bearer Jin Jing in Paris, who received several minor injuries in the incident. The 2008 Olympic Torch Relay has been met with protests in some cities.

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The 2008 Olympic Torch Relay will run until August 8, 2008, prior to the Games of the XXIX Olympiad Tibet, Free it. Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China. The relay, with the theme Journey of Harmony, is expected to last 130 days and carry the torch 137,000 km. (85,100 mi.) — the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay. By comparison, when this globe-trotting ritual was first introduced to promote the 1936 Games, the Olympic flame only travelled 3,422 km from Athens to Berlin.

In 2008, after being lit in Olympia, Greece, the torch traveled to the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens, and then to Beijing, arriving on March 31. From Beijing, the torch is following a route passing through six continents. The torch will visit cities on the Silk Road, symbolizing ancient links between China and the rest of the world. The relay will also include an attempt to carry the flame to the top of Mount Everest .

The 2008 torch relay has been controversial, being marked on multiple occasions by protests regarding China's human rights record, and in particular the ongoing unrest in Tibet. The path of the torch has been changed on several occasions, with the torch being extinguished by the organisers several times during the Paris leg.

Torch

2008 Olympic Torch on display in Vilnius, February 16, 2008.

See also: Olympic Flame

The Olympic Torch is based on traditional scrolls and uses a traditional Chinese design known as "Lucky Cloud". It is made from aluminum. The torch is designed to remain lit in 65 kilometre per hour winds, and in rain of up to 50 millimetres per hour. An ignition key is used to ignite and extinguish the flame. The torch is fueled by cans of propane. Each can will light the torch for 15 minutes. It is designed by a team from Lenovo Group.

The Torch is designed in reference to the traditional Chinese concept of the 5 elements that make up the entire universe.

Lanterns

The Olympic Flame is supposed to remain lit for the whole relay. When the Torch is extinguished at night, on airplanes, in bad weather, or during protests (such as the several occasions in Paris), the Olympic Flame is kept alight in a set of 10 lanterns.

Route

2008 Olympic Torch Relay. The original Taiwan route shown in red.

2008 Torch Relay in the Chinese mainland

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Almaty Torch Relay Billboard at the Astana Square.

The torch in London.

The torch at Buenos Aires.

The announced route will carry the torch through the following locations, from March 2008 to May 2008 to August 2008. The planned route originally included a stop in Taipei between Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong, but there was disagreement in Beijing and Taipei over language used to describe whether it was an international or a domestic part of the route. While the Olympic committees of China and Taiwan reached initial consensus on the approach, the government of the Republic of China in Taiwan intervened, stating that this placement could be interpreted as placing Taiwan on the same level as Hong Kong and Macau, an implication it objected to. The Beijing Organizing Committee attempted to continue negotiation, but further disputes arose over the placement and usage of the flag or the anthem of the Republic of China along the 24 km torch route in Taiwan. As of 2007-09-21, after the midnight deadline for concluding the negotiations on September 20, Taiwan and China were unable to come to terms with the issue of the Torch Relay. In the end, both sides of the Taiwan Strait decided to eliminate the Taipei leg.

Date	City		Country
March 25	Olympia		Greece
March 30	Athens
March 31	Beijing		China
April 2	Almaty		Template:KZK
April 3	Istanbul		Turkey
April 5	St.Petersburg		Russia
April 6	London		United Kingdom
April 7	Paris		France
April 9	San Francisco		United States
April 11	Buenos Aires		Argentina
April 13	Dar es Salaam		Tanzania
April 14	Muscat		Oman
April 16	Islamabad		Pakistan
April 17	New Delhi		India
April 19	Bangkok		Thailand
April 21	Kuala Lumpur		Malaysia
April 22	Jakarta		Indonesia
April 24	Canberra		Australia
April 26	Nagano		Japan
April 27	Seoul		South Korea
April 28	Pyongyang		North Korea
April 29	Ho Chi Minh City		Vietnam
May 2	Hong Kong		China
May 3	Macau
May 4	Sanya	Hainan
May 5	Wuzhishan
May 5	Wanning
May 6	Haikou
May 7	Guangzhou	Guangdong
May 8	Shenzhen
May 9	Huizhou
May 10	Shantou
May 11	Fuzhou	Fujian
May 12	Quanzhou
May 12	Xiamen
May 13	Longyan
May 14	Ruijin	Jiangxi
May 15	Jinggangshan
May 16	Nanchang
May 17	Wenzhou	Zhejiang
May 17	Ningbo
May 18	Hangzhou
May 19	Shaoxing
May 19	Jiaxing
May 20	Shanghai
May 22	Suzhou	Jiangsu
May 22	Nantong
May 23	Taizhou
May 24	Yangzhou
May 24	Nanjing
May 26	Hefei	Anhui
May 27	Huainan
May 27	Wuhu
May 28	Jixi
May 28	Huangshan
May 29	Wuhan	Hubei
May 30	Yichang
May 31	Jingzhou
June 1	Yueyang	Hunan
June 2	Changsha
June 3	Shaoshan
June 4	Guilin	Guangxi
June 5	Nanning
June 6	Baise
June 7	Kunming	Yunnan
June 8	Lijiang
June 9	Xamgyi'nyilha
June 10	Guiyang	Guizhou
June 11	Kaili
June 12	Zunyi
June 13	Chongqing
June 15	Guang'an	Sichuan
June 15	Mianyang
June 16	Guanghan
June 16	Leshan
June 17	Zigong
June 17	Yibin
June 18	Chengdu
June 19	Shannan Prefecture	Tibet
June 20	Lhasa
June 22	Golmud	Qinghai
June 23	Qinghai Hu
June 24	Xining
June 25	Ürümqi	Xinjiang
June 26	Kashi
June 27	Shihezi
June 27	Changji
June 28	Dunhuang	Gansu
June 28	Jiayuguan
June 29	Jiuquan
June 30	Tianshui
June 30	Lanzhou
July 2	Zhongwei	Ningxia
July 3	Wuzhong
July 4	Yinchuan
July 5	Yan'an	Shaanxi
July 6	Yangling
July 6	Xianyang
July 7	Xi'an
July 8	Yuncheng	Shanxi
July 8	Pingyao
July 9	Taiyuan
July 10	Datong
July 11	Hohhot	Inner Mongolia
July 12	Ordos
July 12	Baotou
July 13	Chifeng
July 14	Qiqihar	Heilongjiang
July 15	Daqing
July 16	Harbin
July 17	Songyuan	Jilin
July 17	Changchun
July 18	Jilin
July 19	Yanji
July 20	Shenyang	Liaoning
July 21	Benxi
July 21	Liaoyang
July 21	Anshan
July 22	Dalian
July 23	Yantai	Shandong
July 23	Weihai
July 24	Qingdao
July 24	Rizhao
July 25	Linyi
July 25	Qufu
July 25	Tai'an
July 26	Jinan
July 28	Shangqiu	Henan
July 28	Kaifeng
July 29	Zhengzhou
July 30	Luoyang
July 31	Anyang
August 1	Shijiazhuang	Hebei
August 2	Qinhuangdao
August 3	Tangshan
August 4	Tianjin
August 6	Beijing

Sequence of events

Greece: On March 24, 2008, the Olympic Flame was ignited at Olympia, Greece, site of the Ancient Olympics. The actress Maria Nafpliotou, in the role of a High Priestess, ignited the torch of the first torchbearer, a silver medalist of the 2004 Summer Olympics in taekwondo Alexandros Nikolaidis from Greece, who handed the flame over to the second torchbearer, Olympic champion in women's breaststroke Luo Xuejuan from China.

China: In China, the torch was welcomed by Chinese legal chief Zhou Yongkang and State Councilor Liu Yandong. It was subsequently passed onto Hu Jintao, the President, and then onto Liu Xiang, world champion Olympian in 110 m hurdles.

Template:KZK: The first torchbearer in Almaty, where the Olympic torch arrived for the first time ever on April 2, was the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev. The route ran 20 km from Medeo stadium to Astana Square. Among other 79 torchbearers were Olympic champions Bakhtiyar Artayev, Yermakhan Ibraimov (boxing), Yuriy Melnichenko, Zaksylik Ushkempirov (wrestling), Anatoly Khrapaty (weightlifting); the first Olympic champion for independent Kazakhstan Vladimir Smirnov (cross-country skiing) skied his lap on a special artificial snow track; famous Kazakh singer Roza Rymbaeva ran her lap singing a song about Kazakhstan.

Turkey: The torch relay leg in Istanbul, held on April 3, started on Sultanahmet Square and finished in Taksim Square. On the 20 km long route the Olympic flame was carried by 80 torchbearers, the first being a figure skater Tuğba Karademir and the last — the Olympic champion in weightlifting Taner Sağır.

Russia: On April 5 the Olympic torch arrived at Saint Petersburg, Russia. The length of the torch relay route in the city was 20 km, with the start at the Victory Square and finish at the Palace Square. Among the 80 torchbearers were Olympic champions Lyubov Yegorova (cross-country skiing), Viktor Zhdanovich (fencing), Vladimir Salnikov, Alexander Popov, Sergey Kopliakov, Andrey Krylov (swimming), Alexander Dityatin (artistic gymnastics), Tatyana Kazankina (athletics), Anatoly Alyabyev (biathlon), Evgeni Plushenko, Tatiana Totmianina, Maxim Marinin, Anton Sikharulidze, Alexei Urmanov, Oksana Kazakova, Artur Dmitriev, Oleg Vasiliev (figure skating), Svetlana Zhurova (speed skating), and others; figure skating coach Tamara Moskvina; mixed martial artist Fedor Emelianenko; polar explorers Robert Swan, Artur Chilingarov; cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova; actress Alisa Freindlich and other prominent people.

United Kingdom: The torch relay leg held in London on April 6 began in Wembley, passed through the City of London, and eventually ended at the O2 in the eastern part of the city. Torchbearers included Kelly Holmes, Sir Trevor McDonald, Vanessa Mae, Kevin Pieterson and Amara Karan. The 48 km (31 mi) leg took a total of seven and a half hours to complete, and attracted protests by pro-Tibet and pro-Human Rights supporters, prompting changes to the planned route and an unscheduled move onto a bus.

France: The torch relay leg in Paris, held on April 7, began on the first level of the Eiffel Tower and finished at the Stade Charléty. French athlete Stéphane Diagana was the first torchbearer. Other torchbearers included David Douillet, Marie-José Pérec, Jin Jing, Teddy Riner, Arnaud Di Pasquale, Pi Hongyan and Mary Pierce.

The relay was initially supposed to cover 28 km, but it was shortened at the demand of Chinese officials following widespread protests by pro-Tibet and human rights activists, who repeatedly attempted to disrupt, hinder or halt the procession. According to Paris Mayor Bernard Delanoë , a scheduled ceremony at the town hall was cancelled at the request of the Chinese authorities, and, also at the request of Chinese authorities, the torch finished the relay by bus instead of being carried by athletes.

United States: The torch relay's North American leg occurred in San Francisco, California on April 9. On the day of the relay officials diverted the torch run to an unannounced route. The start was at McCovey Cove, where Norman Bellingham of the U.S. Olympic Committee gave the torch to the first torchbearer, Chinese 1992 Olympic champion swimmer Lin Li. The planned closing ceremony at Justin Herman Plaza was cancelled and instead, a ceremony was held at San Francisco International Airport, where the torch was to leave for Buenos Aires. The route changes allowed the run to avoid most of the supporters of China and protesters against China. Sources said there were about 5000 to 6000 protesters. About 20,000 to 30,000 supporters to China were presented at the same time. Although many media, including CNN, NBC, CBS were reluctant to mention the numbers. One report on NBC said there were many more supporters than protesters. As people found out there would be no closing ceremony at Justin Herman Plaza, there were angry reactions. One demonstrator was quoted as saying that the route changes were an effort to "thwart any organized protest that had been planned." San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, a critic of Mayor Gavin Newsom, said that it was a "cynical plan to please the Bush State Department and the Chinese government because of the incredible influence of money." Newsom, on the other hand, said he felt it was in "everyone's best interest" and that he believed people had been "afforded the right to protest and support the torch" despite the route changes. Peter Ueberroth, head of the U.S. Olympic Committee, praised the route changes, saying, "The city of San Francisco, from a global perspective, will be applauded." People who saw the torch were surprised and cheered as shown from live video of CBS and NBC.

Argentina: The torch relay leg in Buenos Aires, Argentina, held on April 11, began with an artistic show at the Lola Mora amphitheatre in Costanera Sur. In the end of the show the mayor of Buenos Aires Mauricio Macri gave the torch to the first torchbearer, Carlos Espínola. The leg finished at the Buenos Aires Riding Club in the Palermo district, the last torchbearer being Gabriela Sabatini. The 13.8 km route included landmarks like the obelisk and Plaza de Mayo. And among remaining 78 torchbearers were famous athletes like Georgina Bardach, Paola Suárez and Pablo Chacón. Soccer star Diego Maradona was among the athletes invited to carry the torch, but he delayed his stay overseas in an apparent attempt to avoid the Olympic controversy. The day was marked by several pro-Tibet protests, which included a giant banner reading "Free Tibet", and an alternative "human rights torch" that was lit by protesters and paraded along the route the flame was to take. Most of these protests were peaceful in nature, and the torch was not impeded. Chinese immigrants also turned out in support of the Games, but only minor scuffles were reported between both groups. Runners surrounded by rows of security carried the Olympic flame past thousands of jubilant Argentines in the most trouble-free torch relay in nearly a week. People showered the parade route with confetti as banks, government offices and businesses took an impromptu half-day holiday for the only Latin American stop on the flame's five-continent journey.

Tanzania: Dar es Salaam was the torch's only stop in Africa, on April 13. The relay covered 5 km. The torch was lit by Vice-President Ali Mohamed Shein, and torchbearers included John Stephen Akhwari, Dorcus Inzikuru and Anna Tibaijuka. About a thousand people followed the relay, waving the Olympic flag. The only noted instance of protest was Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai's withdrawal from the list of torchbearers, in protest against human rights abuses in Tibet.

Oman: Muscat was the torch's only stop in the Middle East, on April 14. The relay covered 20 km. Among the torchbearers was Rahma Marhoon, who will represent Oman at the Beijing Paralympic Games. It was the first time that Oman hosted the Olympic torch relay. No protests or incidents were reported.

Pakistan: The Olympic torch reached Islamabad for the first time ever on April 16. President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani spoke at the opening ceremony of the relay. The first torchbearer was Samiullah Khan, and the last was Jahangir Khan.. Security was high, for what one newspaper called the "most sensitive leg" of the torch's Olympic journey. The relay was initially supposed to carry the torch around Islamabad, but the entire relay was cancelled due to security concerns regarding "militant threats or anti-China protests", and replaced by an indoors ceremony with the torch carried around the track of Jinnah Stadium.

India:Former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar and current squad member Sachin Tendulkar pulled out of the torch relay citing 'personal reasons'.

Hong Kong: Torchbearers include millionaires Victor Li, Walter Kwok and Peter K.K. Lee; Beijing-loyalists Donald Tsang, Tsang Hin Chi, Leung Chun Ying and Rita Fan; and athletes Wong Kam-po, Li Ching, Ko Lai Chak and Lee Lai Shan.

Beijing Olympic Games Sacred Flame Protection Unit

In blue, Beijing Olympic Games Sacred Flame Protection Unit, escorting the Olympic Torch as it passes through Notting Hill in London.

The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee sent out a team of 30 attendants selected from the People's Armed Police to escort the flame throughout its journey. According to Asian Times, sworn in as the "Beijing Olympic Games Sacred Flame Protection Unit" during a ceremony in August 2007, their main job is to keep the Olympic flame alight by any means throughout the journey and to assist in transferring the flame between the torches, the lanterns and the cauldrons. They wear matching blue tracksuits and they will accompany the Torch every step of the way. Two additional teams of 40 attendants each will accompany the flame on its Mainland China route.

According to the Washington Post, there were efforts to "maintain secrecy about who they were". Police in London and Paris both denied they knew the identities of the Unit, while Chinese officials announced that the guards were student volunteers, while not announcing the school they were students of. Online reports on the August swearing-in ceremony were removed by Chinese authorities.

However, according to British journalist Brendan O'Neill, there is nothing mysterious about the security-service employees of the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee. O'Neill reported presence of foreign security officials in the UK and their duty to guard foreign embassies and protect visiting foreign dignitaries. During 2004 Olympic torch relay, Greek security officials followed and monitored the movement of the Olympic flame.

Controversies

• Sebastian Coe, the head of 2012 London Summer Olympics said about the attendants, "Horrible...They tried to push me out of the way three times. They did not speak English. They were thugs." According to the China News Service, however, the attendants have received training in five foreign languages (English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese) and the etiquette of various countries before their mission. Konnie Huq reportedly described them as "bloody aggressive" and "robotic". The BBC reported that London's Metropolitan Police criticized the Protection Unit for "getting in the way of officers trying to restore calm". Also in the United Kingdom, Shadow Home Secretary David Davis expressed concerns about the Protection Unit, and asked Home Secretary Jacqui Smith: “Who in the British Government authorized their presence and what checks were made as to their background?” Damian Hockney, a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority who recently retracted from a failed bid in London's mayor election, stated that "there's no way people like that should be allowed on our streets". At a later mayoral debate, the incumbent mayor, Ken Livingstone, admitted that allowing the Chinese secret police to guard the Olympic torch during its London relay was a mistake saying "it was wrong and should not have happened".
• During the torch's journey through Paris, the Sacred Flame Protection Unit imposed modifications on the torch's route, and controlled the shortening or canceling of ceremonies. Rioting activists also extinguished the torch on several occasions, prompting criticism from Paris' mayor, Bertrand Delanoë, who accused them of "disrupting" the passing of the torch from athlete David Douillet to Teddy Riner.
• On April 11, the chairman of the National Public Safety Commission of Japan, Shinya Izumi indicated that Japan will not welcome "security runners" from China to accompany the Olympic torch when it arrives in Nagano if their role is to serve as guards. Izumi said, "We do not know what position the people who escorted the relay are in," Izumi continued, "If they are for the consideration of security, it is our role." The director-General of the National Police Ageny of Japan, Hiroto Yoshimura said the issue was connected to Japan's sovereignty, "If the accompanying runners are there to provide maintenance for the torch, then there's no problem, but if they are providing security then it's a problem in terms of violating Japan's sovereignty, and we would tell the Chinese side not to provide security."
• On April 7, the federal government of Australia ruled out any Chinese involvement in security operations when the Olympic torch arrives in Australia. Chinese flame attendants will be allowed into Australia, but only to maintain the flame. The chairman of the Canberra relay taskforce, Ted Quinlan, has stated they "could be subject to arrest [...] if they laid a hand on somebody".
• On April 16, the People's Republic of China demanded that CNN's Jack Cafferty apologize for the remarks he made in CNN's The Situation Room. When Wolf Blitzer compared the People's Republic of China of 30 years ago with today's, Cafferty stated:"I don't know if China is any different, but our relationship with China is certainly different, we're in hock to the Chinese up to our eyeballs because of the war in Iraq, for one thing. They're holding hundreds of billions of dollars worth of our paper. We are also running hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of trade deficits with them, as we continue to import their junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food and export, you know, jobs to places where you can pay workers a dollar a month to turn out the stuff that we're buying from Wal-Mart. So I think our relationship with China has certainly changed, I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years." CNN issued a statement with apology and on April 14, Cafferty clarified that by "goons and thugs" he meant the People's Republic of China's government, not the Chinese people.

Responding to the controversies, the International Olympic Committee has stated that the Protection Unit's role is "100% normal...The torch relay escort team is always supplied by the organising committee of the Games... there is nothing unusual about it".

Political fallout

Greece: Following the recent unrest in Tibet, three members of Reporters Without Borders, including Robert Ménard, breached security and attempted to disrupt a speech by Liu Qi, the head of Beijing's Olympic organising committee during the torch lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece. The People's Republic of China called this a "disgraceful" attempt to sabotage the Olympics. On 30 March 2008 in Athens, during ceremonies marking the handing over of the torch from Greek officials to organizers of the Beijing games, demonstrators shouted 'Free Tibet' and unfurled banners; some 10 of the 15 protesters were taken into police detention. After the hand-off, protests continued internationally, with particularly violent uprisings in Nepal. Although RWB claims independence, it is reported to have received funding from the French Government and groups funded by the American government, and Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, Daniel Junqua, the vice-president of the French section of RWB, claims that the funding does not compromise RWB's impartiality.

Turkey: Uyghurs living in Turkey protested at Chinese treatment of their compatriots living in Xinjiang. They were promptly arrested by the police.

Russia: Although two demonstrations had been canceled by the authorities, small protests occurred in Saint-Petersburg. Nonetheless the Yabloko-party wanted to protest outside of the Chinese consulate. All protesters have been arrested.

Protesters at the torch relay through London

United Kingdom: Of the 80 torch-bearers in London, Sir Steve Redgrave, who started the relay, mentioned to the media that he had received e-mailed pleas to boycott the event and could "see why they would like to make an issue" of it. Francesca Martinez and Richard Vaughan refused to carry the torch, while Konnie Huq decided to carry it and also speak out against China. The pro-Tibetan MP Norman Baker asked all bearers to reconsider. Amid pressure from both directions, Prime Minister Gordon Brown welcomed the torch outside 10 Downing Street without holding or touching it.

The London relay saw the torch surrounded by what the BBC described as "a mobile protective ring." Protests began as soon as Redgrave started the event, leading to at least thirty-five arrests. In Ladbroke Grove a demonstrator attempted to snatch the torch from Konnie Huq in a momentary struggle, and in a separate incident, a fire extinguisher was set off near the torch. The Chinese ambassador carried the torch through Chinatown after an unpublicized change to the route amid security concerns. The torch made an unscheduled move onto a bus along Fleet Street amid security concerns and efforts to evade the protesters. In an effort to counter the pro-Tibet protesters and show their support for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, more than 2,000 Chinese also gathered on the torch route and demonstrated with signs, banners and Chinese flags. A large number of supporters were concentrated in Trafalgar Square, displaying the Olympic slogan "One World, One Dream".

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Protest banner on the Hôtel de Ville read "Paris defends human rights throughout the world"..

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Police stopping a pro-Tibet protester attempted to secure the torch from torch bearer Jin Jing. The Chinese Communist Party news agency Xinhua reported that Jin Jing protected the torch with her body and suffered scratches on her chin and shoulders after repeated assaults by seperatist rioters.

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France: Paris City officials had announced plans to greet the Olympic flame with peaceful protest when the torch was to reach the French capital. The city government attached a banner reading "Paris defends human rights throughout the world" to the City Hall, in an attempt to promote values "of all humanity and of human rights."

Members from Reporters Without Borders turned out in large numbers to protest. An estimated 3,000 French police protected the Olympic torch relay as it departed from the Eiffel Tower and crisscrossed Paris amid threat of protests. Widespread pro-Tibet protests, including an attempt by more than one demonstrator to extinguish the flame with water or fire extinguishers, prompted relay authorities to put out the flame five times (according to the police authorities in Paris) and load the torch onto a bus, at the demand of Chinese officials. This was later denied by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, despite video footage broadcast by French television network France 2 which showed Chinese flame attendants extinguishing the torch. Backup flames are with the relay at all times to relight the torch. French judoka and torchbearer David Douillet expressed his annoyance at the Chinese flame attendants who extinguished the torch which he was about to hand over to Teddy Riner: "I understand they're afraid of everything, but this is just annoying. They extinguished the flame despite the fact that there was no risk, and they could see it and they knew it. I don't know why they did it."

The third torchbearer in the Paris leg, Jin Jing, who was disabled and carried the torch on a wheelchair, was assaulted several times by pro-Tibetan protestors. One protestor threw himself onto the wheelchair and attempted to wrench the torch away. Another rushed at her before being pushed off by a policeman. In interviews, Jin Jing said that she was "tugged at, scratched" and "kicked", but that she "did not feel the pain at the time." She received praise from international and Chinese media for her courage. The Chinese government gave the comment that "the Chinese respect France a lot" but "Paris [has slapped] its own face."

Chinese officials canceled the torch relay ceremony amidst disruptions, including a Tibetan flag flown from a window in the City Hall by Green Party officials.

The Chinese officials decided they would not stop here because they were upset by Parisian citizens expressing their support for human rights.

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë

Tibetan demonstrators kept on the sidelines by a cordon of gendarmes, Place de l'Hôtel de Ville

Reporters Without Borders organised several symbolic protests, including scaling the Eiffel Tower to hang a protest banner from it, and hanging an identical banner from the Notre Dame cathedral.

Several hundred pro-Tibet protesters gathered at the Trocadéro with banners and Tibetan flags, and remained there for a peaceful protest, never approaching the torch relay itself. Among them was Jane Birkin, who spoke to the media about the "lack of freedom of speech" in China. Also present was Thupten Gyatso, President of the French Tibetan community, who called upon pro-Tibet demonstrators to "remain calm, non-violent, peaceful".

French members of Parliament and other French politicians also organised a protest. All political parties in Parliament—UMP, Socialists, New Centre, Communists, Democratic Movement (centre) and Greens—jointly requested a pause in the National Assembly's session, which was granted, so that MPs could step outside and unfurl a banner which read "Respect for Human Rights in China". The coach containing the torch drove past the National Assembly and the assembled protesting MPs, who shouted "Freedom for Tibet!" several times as it passed.

French police were criticised for their handling of the events, and notably for confiscating Tibetan flags from demonstrators. The newspaper Libération commented: "The police did so much that only the Chinese were given freedom of expression. The Tibetan flag was forbidden everywhere except on the Trocadéro." Minister of the Interior Michèle Alliot-Marie later stated that the police had not been ordered to do so, and that they had acted on their own initiative. A cameraman for France 2 was struck in the face by a police officer, knocked unconscious, and had to be sent to hospital.

Following Chinese media coverage of some aspect of the protests, and notably "huge coverage" of Jin Jing (according to the BBC), "Chinese activists" (again according to the BBC) began urging a boycott of French products, and in particular asked Chinese shoppers to stay away from Carrefour, which has hypermarkets in China.

United States: On April 1, 2008, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a resolution addressing human rights concerns when the Beijing Olympic torch arrives in San Francisco on 9 April. The resolution would welcome the torch with "alarm and protest at the failure of China to meet its past solemn promises to the international community, including the citizens of San Francisco, to cease the egregious and ongoing human rights abuses in China and occupied Tibet." On April 8, numerous protests were planned including one at the city's United Nations Plaza led by actor Richard Gere and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Police and Tibet demonstrators following the torch in San Francisco

Some advocates for Tibet, Darfur, and the spiritual sect Falun Gong, planned to protest the April 9 arrival of the torch in San Francisco. China had already requested the torch route in San Francisco be shortened. On April 7, 2008, two days prior to the actual torch relay, three activists carrying Tibetan flags scaled the suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge to unfurl two banners, one saying "One World, One Dream. Free Tibet", and the other, "Free Tibet '08". Among them was San Francisco resident Laurel Sutherlin, who spoke to the local TV station KPIX-CBS5 live from a cellphone, urging the International Olympic Committee to ask China not to allow the torch to go through Tibet. "Sutherlin said he was worried that the torch's planned route through Tibet would lead to more arrests and Chinese officials would use force to stifle dissent." The three activists and five supporters face charges related to trespassing, conspiracy and causing a public nuisance.

PRC flag and a Free Panchen Lama poster with a picture of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the Ferry Building is seen in the background

The torch was lit at a park outside at AT&T Park at about 1:17 p.m. PDT (20:17 UTC), briefly held aloft by Chinese Olympic officials. The relay descended into confusion as the first runner in the elaborately planned relay disappeared into a warehouse on a waterfront pier where it stayed for a half-an-hour. Meanwhile pro-Tibet protesters, some of which flew in from pro-Tibet organizations, clashed with thousands of pro-China demonstrators. Supporters of the Olympics outnumber protesters three to one. Around 2 p.m. PDT (21:00 UTC), the torch resurfaced about two miles (3 km) away from the stadium along Van Ness Avenue, a heavily trafficked thoroughfare that was not on official route plans. Television reports showed the flame flanked by motorcycles and uniformed police officers. Two torchbearers carried the flame running slowly behind a truck and surrounded by Olympic security guards. During the torch relay, two torchbearers, one in a wheelchair, managed to display Tibetan flags in protest, resulting in their ejection from the relay. The closing ceremony at Justin Herman Plaza was canceled due to the presence of large numbers of protesters at the site. The torch run ended with a final stretch through San Francisco's Marina district and was then moved by bus to San Francisco International Airport for a makeshift closing ceremony at the terminal, from which the free media was excluded. San Jose Mercury News described the "deceiving" event as "a game of Where's Waldo, played against the landscape of a lovely city."

The torch in Buenos Aires

Activists at the "human rights torch" relay in Buenos Aires carry signs protesting China's attitude to Falun Gong.

Argentina: Argentine activists told a news conference that they would not try to snuff out the torch's flame as demonstrators had in Paris and London. "I want to announce that we will not put out the Olympic torch," said pro-Tibet activist Jorge Carcavallo. "We'll be carrying out surprise actions throughout the city of Buenos Aires, but all of these will be peaceful." Among other activities, protesters organized an alternative march that went from the Obelisk to the city hall, featuring their own "Human Rights Torch". A giant banner reading "Free Tibet" was also displayed on the torch route. According to a representative from the NGO 'Human Rights Torch Relay', their objective was to "show the contradiction between the Olympic Games and the presence of widespread human rights violations in China" A major setback to the event was caused by footballer Diego Maradona, scheduled to open the relay through Buenos Aires, pulling out in an alleged attempt to avoid the Olympic controversy.

Trying to avoid the scenes that marred the relay in the UK, France and the US, the city government designed a complex security operative to protect the torch relay, involving 1200 police officers and 3000 other people, including public employees and volunteers. Overall, the protests were peaceful in nature, although there were a few incidents such as the throwing of several water balloons in an attempt to extinguish the Olympic flame, and minor scuffles between Olympic protesters and supporters from Chinese immigrant communities.

Tanzania: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai withdrew from the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay, citing concerns over human rights in China.

India: Indian national football captain, Baichung Bhutia refused to take part in the Indian leg of the torch relay, citing concerns over Tibet. Bhutia, who is Sikkimese, is the first athlete to refuse to run with the torch. Indian film star Aamir Khan states on his personal blog that the "Olympic Games do not belong to China" and confirms taking part in the torch relay "with a prayer in [his] heart for the people of Tibet, and [...] for all people across the world who are victims of human rights violations". Rahul Gandhi, son of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family, also refused to carry the torch.

Wary of protests, the Indian authorities have decided to shorten the route of the relay in New Delhi, and have given it the security normally associated with Republic Day celebrations, which are considered terrorist targets. Chinese intelligence's expectations of points on the relay route that would be particularly 'vulnerable' to protesters were presented to the Indian ambassador to Beijing, Nirupama Sen. The Indian media responded angrily to the news that the ambassador, a distinguished lady diplomat, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry at 2 a.m. local time; the news was later denied by anonymous sources in Delhi. The Indian media reported that India's Commerce Minister, Kamal Nath, cancelled an official trip to Beijing in protest, though both Nath and Chinese sources have denied it.

India strongly rejected Chinese demands, however, that the torch route be "sanitised" of India's 150,000-strong Tibetan exile community, by which they required a ban on congregation near the curtailed 3 km route. In response Indian officials said India was a democracy, and "a wholesale ban on protests was out of the question". Contradicting some other reports, Indian officials also refused permission to the "Olympic Holy Flame Protection Unit". The combined effect is a "rapid deterioration" of relations between India and China. Meanwhile, the Tibetan government in exile, which is based in India, has stated that it did not support the disruption of the Olympic torch relay.

The noted Indian social activist and a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Kiran Bedi refused to participate saying "she doesn’t want to run in the event as ‘caged woman’."On April 15, Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan pulled out of the Olympic torch relay, citing “very strong personal reasons”. On April 16, a protest was organised in Delhi "against Chinese repression in Tibet", and was broken up by the police.

Australia: Following the events in Olympia, there were reports that China requested permission to deploy People's Liberation Army personnel along the relay route to protect the flame in Canberra. Australian authorities stated that such a request, if it were to be made, would be refused. Chinese officials labeled it a rumor.
Australian police have been given powers to search relay spectators, following a call by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association for Chinese Australian students to "go defend our sacred torch" against "ethnic degenerate scum and anti-China separatists".

Vietnam: While information about protests in other cities are scant in the state-controlled press in communist Vietnam, many bloggers are advocating protests at the torch relay in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam is involved in a territorial dispute with China and many other nations in the region for control of the Spratly and Paracel Islands. While the Vietnamese government strives to maintain friendly relations with China and public demonstrations are extremely rare in Vietnam, spontaneous anti-Chinese demonstrations had occurred in December 2007 following reports that the PRC government established a county-level city named Sansha in the disputed territory. Lê Minh Phiếu, one of the torchbearers and a law student in France, wrote a letter to the president of the International Olympic Committee protesting China's "politicisation of the Olympics", citing maps of the torch relay at the official Beijing Olympic website depicting the disputed islands as Chinese territory and posted it on his blog. In the San Francisco leg of the relay, many Vietnamese Americans had already protested on the same issue.

Hong Kong, China: The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, the League of Social Democrats and other members of the pro-democracy camp are planning to protest during the relay. They want accountability for the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the implementation of democracy in Hong Kong. These organizations support the Olympics and have pledged not to steal the torch or extinguish the flame.

Macau, China: A union is planning to protest at the relay for better living conditions.

Reactions

China: A call to boycott French hypermart Carrefour from 1 May began spreading through mobile text messaging and online chat rooms amongst the Chinese over the weekend from 12 April, accusing the company's major shareholder, the LVMH Group, of donating funds to the Dalai Lama. There were also calls to extend the boycott to include French luxury goods and cosmetic products. According to the Washington Times on April 15, however, the Chinese government was attempting to "calm the situation" through censorship: "All comments posted on popular Internet forum Sohu.com relating to a boycott of Carrefour have been deleted."

Media coverage

Mainland Chinese media coverage of the torch relay has been distinct in a number of ways from coverage elsewhere. Western reporters in Beijing have described Chinese media coverage as partial and censored (for example when Chinese media did not broadcast Reporters Without Borders' disruption of the torch lighting ceremony), whereas Chinese netizens have in turn accused Western media coverage of being biased. The French newspaper Libération was criticised by the Chinese State press agency Xinhua for its allegedly biased reporting; Xinhua suggested that Libération needed "a stinging slap in the face" for having "insulted the Olympic flame" and "supported a handful of saboteurs".

In response to pro-Tibet and pro-human rights protests during the relays, the Chinese media invariably focused on the more disruptive protestors, refering for example to "a very small number of 'Tibet independence' secessionists and a handful of so-called human rights-minded NGO activists" intent on "disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games". By contrast with Western media coverage, there was no mention of largely peaceful protest, and no interviewing of protestors. Chinese media did, however, publish articles about crowds supporting the torch relay, an aspect which has tended to be downplayed in Western media.

Xinhua and CCTV quoted relay spectators who condemned the protests, to a greater extent than most Western media, but did not quote any alternate viewpoints, providing no coverage of support for the protests by some ordinary citizens in Western countries. It quoted athletes who expressed pride at taking part in the relays, to a greater extent than Western media, but not those who, like Marie-José Pérec, expressed understanding and support for the protestors. The Beijing Organising Committee for the Games mentioned the "smiling faces of the elderly, children and the artists on the streets", of cheering and supportive Londoners. Xinhua said that protestors were "radicals" who "trampled human rights" and whose activities were condemned by "the people of the world who cordially love the Olympic spirit".

Reports on the Delhi relay were similarly distinct. Despite intended torchbearers Kiran Bedi, Soha Ali Khan, Sachin Tendulkar and Bhaichung Bhutia all withdrawing from the event, the official Chinese website for the relay reported "Indian torchbearers vow to run for spirit of Olympics", and quoted torchbearers Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Abhinav Bindra, Ayan Ali Bangash and Rajinder Singh Rahelu all stating that sports and politics should not be mixed.

Chinese media have also reported on Jin Jing, whom the official Chinese torch relay website described as "heroic" and an "angel", whereas Western media gave her little mention - despite a Chinese claim that "Chinese Paralympic athlete Jin Jing has garnered much attention from the media".

Some Western media have reported on Chinese accusations of Western media bias. The Daily Telegraph published an opinion piece by the Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom, Fu Ying, who accused Western media of "demonising" China during their coverage of the torch relays. The Telegraph also asked its readers to send their views in response to the question "Is the West demonising China?" The BBC reported on a demonstration in Sydney by Chinese Australians "voicing support for Beijing amid controversy over Tibet" and protesting against what they saw as Western media bias. The report showed demonstrators carrying signs which read "Shame on some Western media", "BBC CNN lies too" and "Stop media distortion!". One demonstrator interviewed by the BBC stated: "I saw some news from CNN, from the BBC, some media [inaudible], and they are just lying." Libération also reported that it had been accused of bias by the Chinese media.

External links

Official sites

• Official site of the Beijing 2008 Torch relay
• Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in London
• Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in Hong Kong

Official site videos

Video images of the relays from the official site of the Beijing 2008 Torch relay.

• "Sacred flame blazes way through the 'city of apples'": Almaty
• "Torch relay extends St. Petersburg's blessings for Beijing Olympics": St Petersburg
• "Olympic flame crosses London amid snow": London
• "Sacred flame gets a French kiss": Paris
• "Crowds gather to show support for Olympic torch relay": San Fransisco
• "Olympic flame lights passion of 'Tango City'": Buenos Aires
• "Eighth stop of global torch relay concludes": Dar es Salaam
• "Olympic flame back to Asia in Muscat relay": Muscat

Other sites

• Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Torch Relay coverage by Community-online.com
• Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay Google Map

Media

• Video on YouTube Olympic Torch Relay in London
• Video on YouTube Olympic Torch Relay in London
• Video on YouTube Olympic Torch Relay in Paris
• Video on YouTube Olympic Torch Relay in San Francisco
• Video on YouTube Olympic Torch Relay in Buenos Aires
• Video on YouTube Olympic Torch Relay in Tanzania