The men in blue and the Olympic Torch

Author: Rosa Maria Young

We saw them in London, we saw them in Paris. Most probably we will see them in San Francisco. Who are these men? Officially they are flame attendants employed by Bocog (Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee) which has organized the global relay whose role is to make sure the flame never goes out. In reality they are well trained Chinese security guards sent to ensure the Olympic flame is always on even at night and during the flights, when the torch is kept in specially-made closed lanterns. What it could have been a relatively easy job for them has been complicated by the ongoing tense situation between China and the Tibetans which has escalate with the intense protests from pro-Tibet and human-rights demonstrators intent in disrupting the global procession of the Olympic flame.

The protests took a serious turn during the flame relay in London and dissolved into chaos and final cancellation of what had been planned to be a 17-mile relay through Paris. The French government had mobilized an incredible force of police on roller skates and helicopters to protect the torch procession. All that protection plus the ubiquitous Chinese men in blue could not stop the Tibetan and French protesters and the torch, although not the master flame which had to be extinguished at least four times until at the insistence of the Chinese officials, the concluding part of the five-hour parade was abandoned and the torch was finally carried through Paris in a police bus. Later on Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, said that he felt that the spectacle “a little sad” but added that “to demonstrate was a right in a democracy” and that he “understood that the Chinese sensibility had been hurt with what had happened as there were not any positives images.”

With similar protests planned in San Francisco,where the flame arrived Tuesday, Delhi and other stops on the flame’s 21-nation, six-continent tour, one wonders if China is regretting its decision to stage the longest and most complex torch relay in the history of the Olympics. There are some regrets from the commission who coordinated the Games. Its vice-president, the Australian Richard Kevan Gosper has said that he believes one should have stayed with the original decision of simply having sent the flame from Olympia to China. With hindsight things are easy. In the meantime, the flame is scheduled to go from San Francisco to Argentina, Tanzania, Pakistan, South Asia, Australia and Japan before arriving in China. A long job still for the men in blue whose attitude has been described both in London and Paris as aggressive. Of course, depending in what happens along the way, things can change. China vows to continue the torch relay while the Olympic committee warns the international tour may be cut short.