Olympic Torch Relay

[bless 'em all]

Heard on the news earlier today that the plane from Greece is landing in Cornwall and then they are going to run around with the flame for 8,000 miles (or was it kilometres?) during the run up to the games.

Of course it's a fix, as anything kicked of by New Labour was bound to be. Those "in favour" would have bagged their places right at the beginning.

The torch relay is passing within a few hundreds yards of my house AND I know someone who is taking part in the relay. I'd go and cheer her on, except it's taking place at 6am on a Sunday morning and I'm sick to f***ing death of hearing about the Olympics.

[VectraMan]

I always thought it was a Big Deal that the olympic flame travelled all the way from Athens to wherever the games were taking place. So sticking it on a plane and flying it to Cornwall is cheating to a degree only normally seen in a top-level professional international sporting event. It's not like they couldn't have had runners carry it across Europe.

[MarillionFan]

Apparently it's Cornwalls biggest security operation since the great eclipse of '99. They have a helicopter and armed response deployed.

I remember that. The police found a large wicca man outside of Penzence full of northern grockles about to be set alight as it went dark. It was a close thing but eventually the police managed to get the fire restarted.

[OwlHoot]

It's all a load of old bollocks. ..

WHS - Someone probably sneezed on the plane and put out all the flames anyway.

[d000hg]

I always thought it was a Big Deal that the olympic flame travelled all the way from Athens to wherever the games were taking place. So sticking it on a plane and flying it to Cornwall is cheating to a degree only normally seen in a top-level professional international sporting event. It's not like they couldn't have had runners carry it across Europe.

Would you like them to swim across the channel too?

[MrMark]

Would you like them to swim across the channel too?

No reason why a team of Olympic rowers couldn't have transported the person with the "flame" across the Channel though?

Seems a bit forced flying to Cornwall and then running the relays to London. If flying "the flame" in they may have well just flown to City airport.

[d000hg]

If it was somewhere more remote they'd have to fly, so it's all academic and for tradition/appearances anyway.

[Sysman]

No reason why a team of Olympic rowers couldn't have transported the person with the "flame" across the Channel though?

Seems a bit forced flying to Cornwall and then running the relays to London. If flying "the flame" in they may have well just flown to City airport.

The boats used by Olympic rowers aren't designed for open seas, but there are seagoing versions of the sport.

Like I said earlier, it has New Labour^s sticky pawmarks all over it.

[d000hg]

Do New LAbour get to control the torch's journey before it reaches the UK?

[VectraMan]

No reason why a team of Olympic rowers couldn't have transported the person with the "flame" across the Channel though?

Seems a bit forced flying to Cornwall and then running the relays to London. If flying "the flame" in they may have well just flown to City airport.

Apparently it's going to be doing 8000Km around Britain, but it's only 3000Km from Athens to London, according to Google Maps. So why not just do it properly? If they're going to take a plane they may as well light the bloody thing here and have done with it.