Right, so first things first, here is my debut article which was written in response to the Olympic Torch Relay. It has been published on The Student Journals, which is a really great site encouraging independent student journalism. Hopefully it will be the first of many articles I write for them! It is certainly a site well worth giving a bookmark.
http://www.studentjournals.co.uk/comment/britain/1432-olympic-torch-relay-a-flaming-disappointment
As interesting as your article was to read I cannot help but distance myself as far away as possible from your opinion (of which you are entitle to). It just seems that this is the view of a ‘fun spoiler’ who is extremely naïve. You mention the ‘true spirit’ of the games and that this event may not have captured it due to the festival like atmosphere with all of the sponsor vehicles. I would like to ask you what your interpretation is of the ‘true spirit’ because I believe it to be bringing communities/people together (whether locally or internationally), people displaying their support and being able to view a fantastic spectacle. Now anyone who went to see the relay must agree that the relay itself has already fit each of the three criteria of the ‘true spirit’ mentioned above. It just happens that in a modern world (which with you being a student you will appreciate) the job of ‘rallying the troops’ and all of the spectators is handed to the sponsors and what a great job the convoy did!
ReplyDeleteYou commend the complex logistics that have been put into place for the relay and the games and I totally agree it must have taken some great thought and working out. However you seem to agree with the unimpressed lady who you were stood with in that it did not seem the wait or you did not see the torch for long, ect. I would like to know what you both expected from this event as in one breath you commend the logistics and in another you sham the short time for which you saw the torch, given your impressed stance on the logistics you must have realised that it would have been impossible for the torch to stick around!
I find it baffling that you talk about this event in what seems to be an attitude of disgrace however instead of moaning you should be expressing how proud, humble and happy you were to see and witness what might be a once in a lifetime experience!
Hi. Firstly, thank you for reading the article. Though clearly I disagree with your point of view, I am glad that what I have written has provoked debate, particularly around the meaning of the 'true spirit' of the Olympic Games. The modern Olympic Games were created to bring together people in the name of sport and friendly competition. It is my argument that it is people, not sponsors, which make the Olympic Games what they are. Indeed, I made my opinion of the games themselves clear in the first part of the article. The torch relay, however, appeared to forget this. The people who the torch relay should have been for were those carrying the torch, who were being recognised for their special contributions to their communities, and the people who, like me, went to see the torch relay because they will not be attending the games themselves. The over-prominence of the sponsors meant that the torch bearers seemed to be playing second fiddle. Though they may not have realised it themselves, I for one was disappointed that the cheers for the sponsors' vehicles were greater than that as the torch passed. But this was not the fault of the crowd. In locations where there are wide streets, the practice of having a van with a camera (probably a Samsung one) directly infront of the torch bearer filming might not be an issue, as the crowds would be able to see much further and hence see the torch approaching, passing and then travelling off again into the distance. In the city of York, however, the streets are much narrower. Had the van been further in front of the torch bearer then we would have had a better view. As it happened, the torch bearer could not be seen until the very last moment, severely reducing the amount of time we had to see the torch bearer and the flame itself. Furthermore, there was no indication that the torch bearer was even approaching because of the muted cheers. It came as a surprise when he popped out from behind the van. I have had people express similar disappointments. It seems strange that the organisers would put so much effort into the logistics of the route but be unable to factor in specific issues like the narrow streets of York city centre. While you are correct that the sponsors 'rallied the troops' so to speak, but this just meant that when the torch came past it was a damp squib. I have tried to make my attitude come across more as disappointment than disgrace. While I do feel proud, humble and happy that the Olympics are being held in the UK, I feel that the Olmpic Torch Relay could have captured this much better.
DeleteBy the sounds of it you should not be disappointed in the torch relay but rather its leg in the city of York. This is because everywhere else that I and other friends followed it, it was a great spectacle where you could get great and lengthy views of the torch bearers. And for the sudden surprise of the torch bearer 'popping up' there was always someone running in front of the torch alerting the crowd 10 minutes before its arrival, now whether this was because of your late arrival to a settling point (which you made clear in your post) I do not know. It just seems like you got a rough deal in York, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteFair point regarding York but I have spoken to people from elsewhere who had similar feelings to myself. There are others who, while content with their view of the torch itself, thought the overall experience was not what they had hoped. Certainly some aspects of my disappointment are specific to York, but I can only write from what I have experienced. At the end of the day it is the job of the organisers to make sure nobody is disappointed, and so they should have prepared better for York. Regarding the ten minute alert, we were there when that person went past (we arrived well before the torch, just after most other people had been there a while), but it was at least fifteen minutes, maybe more, until the torch bearer came past.
Delete