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2008 Summer Olympics torch relay

March 29, 2023

The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream". Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China.[1] The relay, also called by the organizers as the "Journey of Harmony", lasted 129 days and carried the torch 137,000 km (85,000 mi) – the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay since the tradition was started ahead of the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Host cityBeijing, China
Countries visitedGreece, China, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Russia, United Kingdom, France, United States, Argentina, Tanzania, Oman, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau
Distance137,000 km (85,000 mi)
ThemeJourney of Harmony
Start dateMarch 24, 2008
End dateAugust 8, 2008
The 2008 Olympic Torch in London

After being lit at the birthplace of the Olympic Games in Olympia, Greece on March 24, the torch traveled to the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens, and then to Beijing, arriving on March 31. From Beijing, the torch was following a route passing through six continents. The torch has visited cities along the Silk Road, symbolizing ancient links between China and the rest of the world. The relay also included an ascent with the flame to the top of Mount Everest on the border of Nepal and Tibet, China from the Chinese side, which was closed specially for the event.[2]

In many cities along the North American and European route, the torch relay was protested by advocates of Tibetan independence, animal rights, and legal online gambling,[3] and people protesting against China's human rights record,[4][5] resulting in confrontations at a few of the relay locations. These protests, which ranged from thousands of people in San Francisco,[6] forced the path of the torch relay to be changed or shortened on a number of occasions. The torch was extinguished by Chinese security officials several times during the Paris leg for security reasons, and once in protest in Paris.[7]

The attacks on the torch in London and Paris were described as "despicable" by the Chinese government, condemning them as "deliberate disruptions... who gave no thought to the Olympic spirit or the laws of Britain and France" and who "tarnish the lofty Olympic spirit", and vowed they would continue with the relay and not allow the protests to "impede the Olympic spirit".[8] Large-scale counter-protests by overseas Chinese and foreign-based Chinese nationals became prevalent in later segments of the relay. No major protests were visible in the Latin America, Africa, and Western Asia legs of the torch relay.

Prompted by the chaotic torch relays in Western Europe and North America, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge described the situation as a "crisis" for the organization and stated that any athletes displaying Tibetan flags at Olympic venues could be expelled from the games.[9][10] However, he stopped short of cancelling the relay altogether despite calls to do so by some IOC members.[11] The outcome of the relay influenced the IOC's decision to scrap global relays in future editions of the games.[12][13]

In June 2008, the Beijing Games' Organizing Committee announced that the planned international torch relay for the Paralympic Games had been cancelled. The Committee stated that the relay was being cancelled to enable the Chinese government to "focus on the rescue and relief work" following the Sichuan earthquake.[14]

Relay elements

Torch

 
2008 Olympic Torch on display in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Main article: 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. It is 72 centimetres high and weighs 985 grams. The torch is designed to remain lit in 65 kilometre per hour (37 mile per hour) winds, and in rain of up to 50 millimetres (2 inches) per hour.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] When the Torch is extinguished at night, on aircraft, in bad weather, or during protests (such as the several occasions in Paris[18]), the Olympic flame is kept alight in a set of 8 lanterns.[citation needed]

Aircraft

Internationally, the torch and its accompanying party traveled in a chartered Air China Airbus A330 (registered B-6075), painted in the red and yellow colors of the Olympic Games.[19][20] Air China was chosen by the Beijing Committees of the Olympic Game as the designated Olympic torch carrier in March 2008 for its long-standing participation in the Olympic cause. The plane traveled a total of 137,000 km (85,000 mi) for a duration of 130 days through 21 countries and regions.[20][21]

Route

 
Beijing 2008 Torch Relay Route around the world
 
2008 Torch Relay in China
Main article: 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay route

The route carried the torch through six continents 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 Chinese Taipei 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,[22] but further disputes arose over the flag or the anthem of the Republic of China along the 24 km torch route in Taiwan.[23] By the midnight deadline for concluding the negotiation on September 21, 2007, Taiwan and mainland 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.[24]

Sequence of events

International and HK&Macau leg

  Greece: On March 24, 2008, the Olympic Flame was ignited at Olympia, Greece, site of the ancient Olympic Games. 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.[25] Following the recent unrest in Tibet, three members of Reporters Without Borders, including Robert Ménard,[26] 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.[27] The People's Republic of China called this a "disgraceful" attempt to sabotage the Olympics.[28] On March 30, 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.[29] After the hand-off, protests continued internationally, with particularly violent confrontations with police in Nepal.[30]


  China: In China, the torch was first welcomed by Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang and State Councilor Liu Yandong. It was subsequently passed onto CPC General Secretary Hu Jintao. A call to boycott French hypermart Carrefour from May 1 began spreading through mobile text messaging and online chat rooms amongst the Chinese over the weekend from April 12, accusing the company's major shareholder, the LVMH Group, of donating funds to the Dalai Lama.[31] There were also calls to extend the boycott to include French luxury goods and cosmetic products.[32] 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."[33] Chinese protesters organized boycotts of the French-owned retail chain Carrefour in major Chinese cities including Kunming, Hefei and Wuhan, accusing the French nation of pro-secessionist conspiracy and anti-Chinese racism. Some burned French flags, some added Nazism's Swastika to the French flag,[34] and spread short online messages calling for large protests in front of French consulates and embassy. The Carrefour boycott was met with anti-boycott demonstrators who insisted on entering one of the Carrefour stores in Kunming, only to be blocked by boycotters wielding large Chinese flags and hit by water bottles.[35] The BBC reported that hundreds of people demonstrated in Beijing, Wuhan, Hefei, Kunming and Qingdao.[36]

In response to the demonstrations, an editorial in the People's Daily urged Chinese people to "express [their] patriotic enthusiasm calmly and rationally, and express patriotic aspiration in an orderly and legal manner".[37]


  Kazakhstan: 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. There were reports that Uighur activists were arrested and some were deported back to China.[38]


  Turkey: The torch relay leg in Istanbul, held on April 3, started on Sultanahmet Square and finished in Taksim Square. Uyghurs living in Turkey protested at Chinese treatment of their compatriots living in Xinjiang. Several protesters who tried to disrupt the relay were promptly arrested by the police.[39]


  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. Mixed martial arts icon and former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko was one of the torch bearers. This gives him the distinction of the being the first active MMA fighter to carry the Olympic flame.

 
Arrival of the Olympic Torch in the O2 Arena.


  Great Britain: The torch relay leg held in London, the host city of the 2012 Summer Olympics, on April 6 began at Wembley Stadium, passed through the City of London, and eventually ended at O2 Arena in the eastern part of the city. The 48 km (30 mi) leg took a total of seven and a half hours to complete, and attracted protests by pro-Tibetan independence and pro-Human Rights supporters, prompting changes to the planned route and an unscheduled move onto a bus, which was then briefly halted by protesters.[40] Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has officially complained to Beijing Organising Committee about the conduct of the tracksuit-clad Chinese security guards. The Chinese officials, seen manhandling protesters, were described by both the London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Lord Coe, chairman of the London Olympic Committee as "thugs".[41] A Metropolitan police briefing paper revealed that security for the torch relay cost £750,000 and the participation of the Chinese security team had been agreed in advance, despite the Mayor stating, "We did not know beforehand these thugs were from the security services. Had I known so, we would have said no."[42]

 
Protesters at the torch relay through London

Of the 80 torch-bearers[43] 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.[43] Francesca Martinez and Richard Vaughan refused to carry the torch,[44] while Konnie Huq decided to carry it and also speak out against China.[45] The pro-Tibetan Member of Parliament Norman Baker asked all bearers to reconsider.[44] Amid pressure from both directions, Prime Minister Gordon Brown welcomed the torch outside 10 Downing Street without holding or touching it.[46] The London relay saw the torch surrounded by what the BBC described as "a mobile protective ring."[46] Protests began as soon as Redgrave started the event, leading to at least thirty-five arrests.[46] 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.[47][46] The Chinese ambassador carried the torch through Chinatown after an unpublicized change to the route amid security concerns.[46] The torch made an unscheduled move onto a bus along Fleet Street amid security concerns and efforts to evade the protesters.[46][48] 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".[49]

 
Manifestation un Paris « Beijing 2008 »
 
An allegedly Tibetan protester attempts to take the torch from disabled torch-bearer Jin Jing by violence in Paris.[50]


  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. 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.[51] 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.[52] 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."[53] Members from Reporters Without Borders turned out in large numbers to protest.[54] An estimated 3,000 French police protected the Olympic torch relay as it departed from the Eiffel Tower and criss-crossed Paris amid threat of protests.[55] 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[56]) and load the torch onto a bus,[7] at the demand of Chinese officials.[57] This was later denied by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs,[58] despite video footage broadcast by French television network France 2 which showed Chinese flame attendants extinguishing the torch.[59] Backup flames are with the relay at all times to relight the torch.[60] 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."[61]

The Chinese officials decided they would not stop here because they were upset by Parisian citizens expressing their support for human rights.[62]

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë

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.[63] The third torchbearer in the Paris leg, Jin Jing, who was disabled and carried the torch on a wheelchair, was assaulted several times by unidentified protesters seemingly from the pro-Tibet independent camp.[64][65][66] In interviews, Jin Jing said that she was "tugged at, scratched" and "kicked",[66][67] but that she "did not feel the pain at the time." She received praise from ethnic Chinese worldwide[65][68] as "Angel in Wheelchair". The Chinese government gave the comment that "the Chinese respect France a lot" but "Paris [has slapped] its own face."[69]

 
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.[70]

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.[71] Among them was Jane Birkin, who spoke to the media about the "lack of freedom of speech" in China.[72] Also present was Thupten Gyatso, President of the French Tibetan community, who called upon pro-Tibet demonstrators to "remain calm, non-violent, peaceful".[73]

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.[74]

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."[75] 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.[76] A cameraman for France 2 was struck in the face by a police officer, knocked unconscious, and had to be sent to hospital.[77]

 
A People's Republic of China flag and a Free Panchen Lama poster with a picture of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. The Ferry Building can seen in the background.

  United States of America: 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.[78] 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.[79] The route changes allowed the run to avoid large numbers of China supporters and protesters against China. As people found out there would be no closing ceremony at Justin Herman Plaza, there were angry reactions.[79] One demonstrator was quoted as saying that the route changes were an effort to "thwart any organized protest that had been planned."[79] 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."[79] 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."[79] People who saw the torch were surprised and cheered as shown from live video of CBS and NBC. The cost to the city for hosting the event was reported to be US$726,400, nearly half of which has been recovered by private fundraising. Mayor Gavin Newsom said that "exponential" costs associated with mass arrests were avoided by his decision to change the route in consultation with police chief Heather Fong.[80]

 
Part of a large group of pro-Tibetan protesters moving south along the northbound lanes of The Embarcadero come into contact with pro-Chinese protesters near Pier 1 in the early afternoon.

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 April 9. 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."[81] 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.[82]

Some advocates for Tibet, Darfur, and Falun Gong (recognized as cult in mainland China), planned to protest the April 9 arrival of the torch in San Francisco.[83] China had already requested the torch route in San Francisco be shortened.[84] 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".[85] 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."[86] The three activists and five supporters face charges related to trespassing, conspiracy and causing a public nuisance.[87]

 

The torch was lit at a park outside at AT&T Park at about 1:17 pm PDT (20:17 UTC), briefly held aloft by American and 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.[88] There were clashes between thousands of pro-China demonstrators, many of whom said they were bused in by the Chinese Consulate and other pro-China groups, and both pro-Tibet and Darfur protesters. The non-Chinese demonstrators were reported to have been swamped and trailed by angry crowds.[79] Around 2 pm PDT (21:00 UTC), the torch resurfaced about 3 km (1.9 mi) 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.[89] During the torch relay, two torchbearers, Andrew Michael who uses a wheelchair and is the Vice President for Sustainable Development for the Bay Area Council and Director of Partnerships For Change, and an environmental advocate, Majora Carter, managed to display Tibetan flags in protest, resulting in their ejection from the relay.[90] 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,[79] 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."[91] International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said the San Francisco relay had "fortunately" avoided much of the disruptions that marred the legs in London and Paris, but "was, however, not the joyous party that we had wished it to be."[92]

 
Activists at the human rights torch relay in Buenos Aires carried signs protesting China's treatment of Falun Gong.

  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.[93] 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.[94] 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.[95] 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.[96]

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."[97] 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"[98]

 
The torch in Buenos Aires

The outreach director of HRTR, Susan Prager, is also the communication director of "Friends of Falun Gong", a quasi-government non-profit funded by fmr. Congressman Tom Lanto's wife and Ambassador Mark Palmer of NED.[99] A major setback to the event was caused by footballer Diego Maradona, scheduled to open the relay through Buenos Aires, pulling out in an attempt to avoid the Olympic controversy.[100] 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.[101] 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.[102]

  Tanzania: Dar es Salaam was the torch's only stop in Africa, on April 13. The relay began at the grand terminal of the TAZARA Railway, which was China's largest foreign aid project of the 1970s, and continued for 5 km through the old city to the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Temeke, which was built with Chinese aid in 2005.[103] The torch was lit by Vice-President Ali Mohamed Shein. 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.[104]


  Sultanate of Oman: Muscat was the torch's only stop in the Middle East, on April 14. The relay covered 20 km. No protests or incidents were reported.[105] One of the torchbearers was Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji.[106]


  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. Security was high, for what one newspaper called the "most sensitive leg" of the torch's Olympic journey.[107] 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",[107] and replaced by an indoors ceremony with the torch carried around the track of Jinnah Stadium.[108] In fear of violent protests and bomb attacks, the torch relay in Pakistan took place in a stadium behind closed doors. Although the relay was behind closed doors, thousands of policemen and soldiers guarded the flame. As a consequence, no incidents arose.[109]


  India: Due to concerns about pro-Tibet protests, the relay through New Delhi on April 17 was cut to just 2.3 km (less than 1.5 miles), which was shared amongst 70 runners. It concluded at the India Gate.[110] The event was peaceful due to the public not being allowed at the relay.[111] A total of five intended torchbearers -Kiran Bedi, Soha Ali Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Gavaskar- withdrew from the event, citing "personal reasons",[112] or, in Bhutia's case, explicitly wishing to "stand by the people of Tibet and their struggle" and protest against the PRC "crackdown" in Tibet.[113] 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.[114] 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".[115] 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,[116] 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 am local time; the news was later denied by anonymous sources in Delhi.[117] 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.[118]

India rejected Chinese demands that the torch route be clear 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".[119] 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.[119] 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.[120]

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’."[121] On April 15, Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan pulled out of the Olympic torch relay, citing “very strong personal reasons”.[122] On April 16, a protest was organised in Delhi "against Chinese repression in Tibet", and was broken up by the police.[123]


  Thailand: The April 18 relay through Bangkok was the Olympic flame's first visit to Thailand. The relay covered just over 10 km, and included Bangkok's Chinatown.[124] The torch was carried past Democracy Monument, Chitralada Palace and a number of other city landmarks.[125] M.R. Narisa Chakrabongse, Green World Foundation (GWF) chairwoman, withdrew from the torch-running ceremony, protesting against China's actions in Tibet.[126] Several hundred protesters were present, along with Olympic supporters.[127] Thai authorities threatened to arrest foreign protesters and ban them from future entry into Thailand.[128] A coalition of Thai human rights groups announced that it would organise a "small demonstration" during the relay,[129] and several hundred people did indeed take part in protests, facing Beijing supporters.[127] Intended torchbearer Mom Rajawongse Narissara Chakrabongse boycotted the relay, to protest against China's actions in Tibet.[130] In Bangkok, students told the media that the Chinese Embassy provided them with transportation and gave them shirts to wear.[131]


  Malaysia: The event was held in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, on April 21. The 16.5 km long-relay began from the historic Independence Square, passed in front of several city landmarks before coming to an end at the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.[132] Among the landmarks the Olympic flame passed next to were the Parliament House, National Mosque, KL Tower and Merdeka Stadium. A team of 1000 personnel from the Malaysian police Special Action Squad guarded the event and escorted the torchbearers. The last time an Olympic torch relay was held in Malaysia was the 1964 Tokyo edition.

 
A group of youths surrounded a suspected Tibet supporter demonstrating during the torch relay in Kuala Lumpur.[133]

Just days before the relay supporters of Falun Gong demonstrated in front of the Chinese embassy in the Malaysian capital.[134] As many as 1,000 personnel from the special police unit were expected to be deployed on the day of the relay.[135] A Japanese family with Malaysian citizenship and their 5-year-old child who unfurled a Tibetan flag were hit by a group of Chinese nationals with plastic air-filled batons and heckled by a crowd of Chinese citizens during the confrontation at Independence Square where the relay began,[136] and the Chinese group shouted: "Taiwan and Tibet belong to China."[137] Later during the day, the Chinese volunteers forcefully took away placards from two other Malaysians protesting at the relay. One of the protesting Malaysian was hit in the head.[133]


  Indonesia: The Olympic flame reached Jakarta on April 22. The original 20 km relay through Jakarta was cancelled due to "security worries", at the request of the Chinese embassy,[138] and the torch was instead carried round the city main's stadium, as it had been in Islamabad.[139] Several dozen pro-Tibet protesters gathered near the stadium, and were dispersed by the police.[140] The event was held in the streets around the city main's stadium. The cancelling of the relay through the city itself was decided due to security concerns and at the request of the Chinese embassy.[141] Only invitees and journalists were admitted inside the stadium. Protests took place outside the stadium.[142]

 
Lifetime Olympic official, 92-year-old Julius (Judy) Patching, hands over to Jake Warcaba at the Stone of Remembrance, Canberra. Two Chinese flame attendants stand either side, assisting the two runners. A policeman stands to the left.
 
Spectators holding Chinese flags during the Canberra leg of the relay.


  Australia: The event was held in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory on April 24, and covered around 16 km of Canberra's central areas,[143] from Reconciliation Place to Commonwealth Park.[144] Upon its arrival in Canberra, the Olympic flame was presented by Chinese officials to local Aboriginal elder Agnes Shea, of the Ngunnawal people.[145] She, in turn, offered them a message stick, as a gift of peace and welcome.[146] Hundreds of pro-Tibet protesters and thousands of Chinese students reportedly attended.[147] Demonstrators and counter-demonstrators were kept apart by the Australian Federal Police.[147] Preparations for the event were marred by a disagreement over the role of the Chinese flame attendants, with Australian and Chinese officials arguing publicly over their function and prerogatives during a press conference.[148]

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.[149] Chinese officials labeled it a rumor.[150] 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".[151] Tony Goh, chairman of the Australian Council of Chinese Organisations, has said the ACCO would be taking "thousands" of pro-Beijing demonstrators to Canberra by bus, to support the torch relay.[152] Zhang Rongan, a Chinese Australian student organising pro-Beijing demonstrations, told the press that Chinese diplomats were assisting with the organization of buses, meals and accommodation for pro-Beijing demonstrators, and helping them organise a "peaceful show of strength".[153] Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Chinese officials were urging supporters to "turn up and put a point of view", but that he had no objection to it as long as they remained peaceful.[154]

 
Chinese spectators holding signs in Canberra.

Intended torchbearer Lin Hatfield Dodds withdrew from the event, explaining that she wished to express concern about China's human rights record.[155] Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said her decision was "a very good example of peacefully making a point".[154]

Up to 600 pro-Tibet protesters were expected to attend the relay, along with between 2,000 and 10,000 Chinese supporters.[154] Taking note of the high number of Chinese supporters, Ted Quinlan, head of the Canberra torch relay committee, said: "We didn't expect this reaction from the Chinese community. It is obviously a well-coordinated plan to take the day by weight of numbers. But we have assurances that it will be done peacefully.".[156] Also, Australia's ACT Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope confirmed that the Chinese embassy was closely involved to ensure that "pro-China demonstrators vastly outnumbered Tibetan activists."[157] Australian freestyle swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe ended the Australian leg of the torch relay April 24, 2008, touching the flame to light a cauldron after a run that was only marginally marked by protests. People demonstrated both for China and for Tibet. At least five people were arrested during the torch relay. Police said "the five were arrested for interfering with the event under special powers enacted in the wake of massive protests against Chinese policy toward Tibet."[158] At one point, groups of Chinese students surrounded and intimidated pro-Tibet protesters. One person had to be pulled aboard a police launch when a group of pro-Chinese students looked like they might force him into the lake.[159]


  Japan: The event was held in Nagano, which hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, on April 26. Japanese Buddhist temple Zenkō-ji, which was originally scheduled to be the starting point for the Olympic torch relay in Nagano, refused to host the torch and pulled out of the relay plans, amid speculation that monks there sympathized with anti-Chinese government protesters.[160] as well as the risk of disruption by violent protests.[161] Parts of Zenkō-ji temple's main building (Zenkō-ji Hondō), reconstructed in 1707 and one of the National Treasures of Japan, was then vandalized with spraypaint. A new starting point, previously the site of a municipal building and now a parking lot, was chosen by the city.[162] Thousands of riot police were mobilized to protect the torch along its route. The show of force kept most protesters in check, but slogans shouted by pro-China or pro-Tibet demonstrators, Japanese nationalists, and human rights organizations flooded the air. Five men were arrested and four injured amidst scenes of mob violence.[163] The torch route was packed with mostly peaceful demonstrators. The public was not allowed at the parking lot where the relay started. After the Zenkoji monks held a prayer ceremony for victims of the recent events in Tibet. More than 100 police officers ran with the torch and riot police lined the streets while three helicopters flew above. Only two Chinese guards were allowed to accompany the torch because of Japan's concern over their treatment of demonstrators at previous relays. A man with a Tibetan flag tried to stop the torch at the beginning of the relay but was dragged off by police. Some raw eggs were also thrown from the crowd.[164]


 
A young man at the relay in Seoul wearing a Daegu University shirt with the phrase "Tibet belongs to China" written on it.

  South Korea: The event was held in Seoul, which hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics, on April 27. Intended torchbearers Choi Seung-kook and Park Won-sun boycotted the event to protest against the Chinese government's crackdown in Tibet.[165] More than 8,000 riot police were deployed to guard the 24-kilometre route, which began at Olympic Park, which was built when Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Games.[131] On the day of the torch relay in Seoul, Chinese students clashed with protesters, throwing rocks, bottles, and punches. A North Korean defector whose brother defected to China but was captured and executed by the DPRK, attempted to set himself on fire in protest of China's treatment of North Korean refugees. He poured gasoline on himself but police quickly surrounded him and carried him away. Two other demonstrators tried to storm the torch but failed. Fighting broke out near the beginning of the relay between a group of 500 Chinese supporters and approximately 50 protesters who carried a banner that read: "Free North Korean refugees in China." The students threw stones and water bottles as approximately 2,500 police tried to keep the groups separated. Police said they arrested five people, including a Chinese student who was arrested for allegedly throwing rocks. Thousands of Chinese followed the torch on its 4.5 hour journey, some chanting, "Go China, go Olympics!"[166] By the end of the relay, Chinese students became violent, and it was reported in Korean media that they were "lynching" everyone who was disagreeing with them. One police man was also rushed to hospital after being attacked by Chinese students.[167][168] On Apr 29, the Secretary of Justice, Kim Kyung Han, told the prime minister that he will find "every single Chinese who was involved and bring them to justice."[169] Later in the day, South Korea's Prosecutor's Office, National Police Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Intelligence Service made a joint statement saying that they will be deporting every Chinese student that was involved in the incident.[170] China defended the conduct of the students.[171]


  North Korea: The event was held in Pyongyang on April 28. It was the first time that the Olympic torch has traveled to North Korea. A crowd of thousands waving pink paper flowers and small flags with the Beijing Olympics logo were organized by the authoritarian regime[172] watched the beginning of the relay in Pyongyang, some waving Chinese flags. The event was presided over by the head of the country's parliament, Kim Yong Nam. The North, an ally of China, has been critical of disruptions to the torch relay elsewhere and has supported Beijing in its actions against protests in Tibet. Kim passed the torch to the first runner Pak Du Ik, who played on North Korea's 1966 World Cup soccer team, as he began the 19-kilometre route through Pyongyang. The relay began from the large sculpted flame of the obelisk of the Juche Tower, which commemorates the national ideology of Juche, or "self-reliance", created by the country's late founding President Kim Il Sung, father of leader Kim Jong Il, who did not attend.

The United Nations Organization and its children's agency UNICEF withdrew their staff, saying that it was not sure the event would help its mission of raising awareness of conditions for children[173] and amid concerns that the relay would be used as a propaganda stunt. "It was unconscionable," said a UN official who was briefed on the arguments. North Korea is frequently listed among the world's worst offenders against human rights.

  Vietnam: The event was held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 29. Some 60 torchbearers carried the torch from the downtown Opera House to the Military Zone 7 Competition Hall stadium near Tan Son Nhat International Airport along an undisclosed route. Vietnam is involved in a territorial dispute with China (and other countries) for sovereignty of the Spratly and Paracel Islands; tensions have risen recently[when?] following reports that the Chinese government had established a county-level city named Sansha in the disputed territories,[174] resulting in anti-Chinese demonstrations in December 2007 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. However to sustain its relationship with China the Vietnamese government has actively sought to head off protests during the torch relay, with Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng warning government agencies that "hostile forces" may try to disrupt the torch relay.[175]

Prior to the rally, seven anti-China protesters were arrested in Hanoi after unfurling a banner and shouting "Boycott the Beijing Olympics" through a loudhailer at a market.[176] A Vietnamese American was deported for planning protests against the torch,[177] while a prominent blogger, Điếu Cày (real name Nguyễn Văn Hải), who blogged about protests around the world and who called for demonstrations in Vietnam, was arrested on charges of tax evasion.[178] Outside Vietnam, there were protests by overseas Vietnamese in Paris, San Francisco and Canberra. Lê Minh Phiếu, a torchbearer who is a Vietnamese law student studying 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.[179] One day before the relay was to start, the official website appeared to have been updated to remove the disputed islands and dotted lines marking China's maritime claims in the South China Sea.[180]

 
Relay runner Rosanna Sze Hang Yue carrying Olympic torch on a dragon boat for the first time
 
A relay runner and artist, Leo Ku on Nathan Road

  Hong Kong: The event was held in Hong Kong on May 2. In the ceremony held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Chief Executive Donald Tsang handed the torch to the first torchbearer, Olympic medalist Lee Lai Shan.[181] The torch relay then traveled through Nathan Road, Lantau Link, Sha Tin (crossed Shing Mun River via a dragon boat, which had been never used before in the history of Olympic torch relays),[182][183] Victoria Harbour (crossed by Tin Hau, a VIP vessel managed by the Marine Department) before ending in Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai.[184] A total of 120 torchbearers were selected to participate in the event[185] consisting of celebrities, athletes and pro-Beijing camp politicians. No politicians from the pro-democracy camp were selected as torchbearers.[186] One torchbearer could not participate due to flight delay.[187] It was estimated that more than 200,000 spectators came out and watched the relay.[184] Many enthusiastic supporters wore red shirts and waved large Chinese flags.[188] According to Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang, 3,000 police were deployed to ensure order.[189]

There were several protests along the torch relay route. Members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, including pro-democracy activist Szeto Wah, waved novelty inflatable plastic Olympic flames, which they said symbolised democracy.[190] They wanted accountability for the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the implementation of democracy in Hong Kong.[191] Political activist and Legislative Council member Leung Kwok-hung (Longhair) also joined the protest, saying "I'm very proud that in Hong Kong we still have people brave enough to speak out."[188] Pro-democracy activists were overwhelmed by a crowd of torch supporters with insults like "running dog," "traitor," "get out!," and "I love the Communist Party."[192][193] At the same time, about 10 members of the Civil Human Rights Front had orange banners calling for human rights improvements and universal suffrage. Onlookers were saying "Aren't you Chinese?" in Mandarin putonghua as they tried to cover the orange banners with a large Chinese national flag.[190] One woman had an orange sign that said, "Olympic flame for democracy", while a man carried a poster with a tank and the slogan "One world, two dreams". A university student and former RDHK radio host Christina Chan wrapped the Tibetan snow lion flag around her body and later began waving it. Several onlookers heckled Chan, shouting "What kind of Chinese are you?" and "What a shame!"[193][194] In the end, she and some of the protesters were taken away against their will by the authorities via a police vehicle "for their own protection."[195][196] Chan is currently[when?] suing the Hong Kong government, claiming her human rights were breached. (case number HCAL139/08)

The Color Orange democracy group, led by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiøt, originally planned to join the Hong Kong Alliance relay and paint the "Pillar of Shame", a structure he built in Hong Kong to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.[188] However, Galschiøt and two other people were denied entry to Hong Kong on April 26, 2008, due to "immigration reasons" and were forced to leave Hong Kong.[197] In response, Lee Cheuk Yan, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, said, "It's outrageous that the government is willing to sacrifice the image of Hong Kong because of the torch relay."[188] Hollywood actress Mia Farrow was also briefly questioned at the Hong Kong airport though officials allowed her to enter. She later gave a speech criticizing China's relations with Sudan in Hong Kong, as there was also a small minority of people protesting about China's role in the crisis of Darfur.[198] Legislator Cheung Man Kwong have also said the government's decision allowing Farrow to enter while denying others is a double standard and a violation to Hong Kong's one country, two systems policy.[199]

 
Fuwa designs along the relay way

  Macao: The event was held in Macau on May 3. It was the first time that the Olympic torch had traveled to Macau. A ceremony was held at Macau Fisherman's Wharf. Afterward, the torch traveled through Macau, passing by a number of landmarks including A-Ma Temple, Macau Tower, Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho, Ponte de Sai Van, Macau Cultural Centre, Macau Stadium and then back to the Fisherman's Wharf for the closing ceremony. Parts of the route near Ruins of St. Paul's and Taipa was shortened due to large crowds of supporters blocking narrow streets.[200] A total of 120 torchbearers participated in this event including casino tycoon Stanley Ho.[201] Leong Hong Man and Leong Heng Teng were the first and last torchbearer in the relay respectively.[202] An article published on Macao Daily News criticized that the list of the torchbearers could not fully represent the Macanese and that there were too many non-athletes among the torchbearers. (some of whom had already been torchbearers of other sporting events)[203]

A union planned to protest at the relay for better living conditions.[204] Hong Kong legislator Michael Mak Kwok-fung and activist Chan Cheong, both members of the League of Social Democrats, were not allowed to enter Macau.[205]

A Macau resident was arrested on April 26 for posting a message on cyberctm.com encouraging people to disrupt the relay. Both orchidbbs.com and cyberctm.com Internet forums were shut down from May 2 to 4. This fueled speculation that the shutdowns were targeting speeches against the relay. The head of the Bureau of Telecommunications Regulation has denied that the shutdowns of the websites were politically motivated.[206] About 2,200 police were deployed on the streets, there were no interruptions.[207]

Domestic (Mainland China) leg

  Mainland China: The torch returned to China for the first time since April. The torch arrived in Sanya, Hainan on May 4 with celebrations attended by International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials and Chinese big names like Jackie Chan. The entire relay through Mainland China was largely a success with many people welcoming the arrival of the torch along the way.

Some notable incidents were:

  • During the Fujian run, the relay carried a cross-strait theme since the province is geographically across from Taiwan. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games invited people from Taiwan to witness the torch relay, but the organisers offered no further details.[208]
  • On May 8, a simultaneous run of the torch was done as part of the summit on Mount Everest.
  • A 28-year-old man in Jiangsu known as "Tang" was arrested for spreading rumors online he would go to Nanjing (the May 27 leg) to grab the torch.[209]
  • The last leg of the Fujian run was gloomily shadowed by the May 12, Sichuan earthquake.[210] As a result, the relay began on May 14 with a moment of silence as the torch made its way through the province of Jiangxi. From May 19 through 21, the relay was suspended as the State Council designated these three days as national days of mourning for the victims in the earthquake.[211] The relay through the province of Sichuan was postponed.
  • On May 23, the relay began in Shanghai. Tens of thousands gathered at the famous People's Square and the Bund along the Huangpu River to welcome the torch. It passed through Pudong, the crown-jewel of Shanghai's districts and PRC's financial capital. The two-day Shanghai leg concluded in Anting, an automobile hub in Shanghai's suburbs, and home to the city's Formula One Shanghai International Circuit.[212] There was no interruptions.
  • On June 21, the relay began in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The originally three-day run was cut short to only one day, likely due to the controversy surrounding the relay because of China's harsh response to the Lhasa riot and the other protests that swept the Tibetan plateau between March and May, and also the delay to the relay due to the devastating Sichuan earthquake. Xinhua, China's official news agency, claimed that organizations such as the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) and the Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) threatened to "sabotage" the relay, but there is no evidence to support this and it contradicts statements from the organizations themselves.[213] Meanwhile, the other Olympic flame rejoined the Olympic flame used in the main torch relay route in Tibet after ascending Mount Everest.[214] Zhang Qingli, the Communist Party Secretary in Tibet, drew criticism from the IOC who wrote to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), saying that they "regret the political statements" made by Zhang during the relay, after he claimed that they could "totally smash the splittist schemes of the Dalai clique".[215]
  • On July 7, the torch was lit in Jiayuguan (the Western end of the Great Wall of China).[216]
  • On August 3, the torch relay started in Sichuan after a devastated earthquake that killed almost 70,000 people in May. Sichuan was the last stop before returning to Beijing for the opening ceremony.[217]
  • On August 8, the torch reached Beijing for the opening ceremony. After a spectacular art show and the parade of nations, the flame entered the stadium. The Olympic torch was relayed by 7 torchbearers before it was passed on to former Olympic gymnast Li Ning. Li, who was suspended by wires, then appeared to run horizontally along the top of the stadium and lit the Olympic cauldron. After it was lit, a spectacular firework show followed, signaling the official beginning of the 29th Olympiad.[218]

Controversies

Media coverage

The coverage of the events by the media came under scrutiny during the relay. 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),[219] whereas Chinese netizens have in turn accused Western media coverage of being biased.[220] 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".[221]

In response to pro-Tibet and pro-human rights protests, the Chinese media focused on the more disruptive protesters, referring 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".[222] However, the Chinese media published articles about crowds supporting the torch relay.[223]

Xinhua and CCTV quoted relay spectators who condemned the protests,[224] 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,[225] to a greater extent than Western media, but not those who, like Marie-José Pérec,[226] expressed understanding and support for the protesters. 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.[227] Xinhua said that protesters were "radicals" who "trampled human rights" and whose activities were condemned by "the people of the world who cordially love the Olympic spirit".[228]

Reports on the Delhi relay were similarly distinct. Despite intended torchbearers Kiran Bedi,[229] Soha Ali Khan,[230] Sachin Tendulkar[231] and Bhaichung Bhutia[113] 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, Ayaan Ali Khan and Rajinder Singh Rahelu all stating that sports and politics should not be mixed.[232]

Chinese media have also reported on Jin Jing,[233] whom the official Chinese torch relay website described as "heroic"[234] and an "angel",[235] whereas Western media initially gave her little mention – despite a Chinese claim that "Chinese Paralympic athlete Jin Jing has garnered much attention from the media".[236]

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.[237] The Telegraph also asked its readers to send their views in response to the question "Is the West demonising China?"[238] 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."[239] Libération also reported that it had been accused of bias by the Chinese media.[240]

On April 17, Xinhua condemned what it called "biased coverage of the Lhasa riots and the Olympic torch relay by the U.S.-based Cable News Network (CNN)".[241] The same day, the Chinese government called on CNN to "apologise" for having allegedly insulted the Chinese people, and for "attempting to incite the Chinese people against the government".[242] CNN issued a statement on April 14, responded to China over 'thugs and goons' comment by Jack Cafferty.[243]

On April 19, the BBC reported that 1,300 people had gathered outside BBC buildings in Manchester and London, protesting against what they described as Western media bias.[36] Several days earlier, the BBC had published an article entitled "The challenges of reporting in China", responding to earlier criticism. The BBC's Paul Danahar noted that Chinese people were now "able to access the BBC News website for the first time, after years of strict censorship", and that "many were critical of our coverage". He provided readers with a reminder of censorship in China, and added: "People who criticise the media for their coverage in Tibet should acknowledge that we were and still are banned from reporting there." He also quoted critical Chinese responses, and invited readers to comment.[244]

On April 20, the People's Daily published a report entitled "Overseas Chinese rally against biased media coverage, for Olympics". It included images of Chinese people demonstrating in France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. One picture showed Chinese demonstrators holding a sign which claimed, incorrectly,[245] that the BBC had not reported on Jin Jing.[246] The People's Daily quoted one protester who claimed the "BBC on some of the recent events has misled the British public and the rest of the world by providing intensive untruthful reports and biased coverage."[247]

On April 4, there were reports of an Anti-cnn website that criticizes the cable network's coverage of recent events. The site appears to have been created by a Beijing citizen. However, foreign correspondents in Beijing claimed that the site may be a semi-government-made website. A Chinese government spokesman said the site was spontaneously set up by a Chinese citizen angered over media coverage.[248]

Torch security

 
In blue, Beijing Olympic Games Sacred Flame Protection Unit,[249] escorting the Olympic Torch as it passes through Notting Hill in London.

The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee sent out a team of 30 unarmed attendants selected from the People's Armed Police to escort the flame throughout its journey.[250] According to Asian Times, sworn in as the "Beijing Olympic Games Sacred Flame Protection Unit" during a ceremony in August 2007, their main job was to keep the Olympic flame alight throughout the journey and to assist in transferring the flame between the torches, the lanterns and the cauldrons.[251] They wear matching blue tracksuits and are intended to accompany the torch every step of the way.[252] One of the torch attendants, dubbed "Second Right Brother," had developed a significant online fan-base, particularly among China's female netizens.[253]

Two additional teams of 40 attendants each accompanied the flame on its Mainland China route.[251] This arrangement had however sparked several controversies.

Flashpoints

  • On April 6, 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."[254] 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.[251] Konnie Huq reportedly described them as "bloody aggressive" and "robotic".[255] The BBC reported that London's Metropolitan Police criticized the Protection Unit for "getting in the way of officers trying to restore calm".[254] 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?”[256] Damian Hockney, a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, stated that "there's no way people like that should be allowed on our streets".[257] 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".[258] On April 25, the British government's national security department, the Home Office, passed complaints about Chinese security guards' conduct during the London Olympic torch relay to the Olympic Games organisers. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith stated that the guards had no policing powers and that they could only protect the Olympic flame by "placing themselves between the offender and the torch bearer". She also added, "We are raising concerns that have been reported in the media and by spectators at the torch relay with the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games through the event organisers."[259]
  • On April 7, during the torch's journey through Paris, due to frequent attempts by protesters who were seemingly from the pro-Tibet camp to capture or extinguish the torch, flame attendants extinguished the torch on several occasions and removed it from the hands of torchbearers to place it aboard a bus,[260] thus altering the intended relay. This prompted criticism from Paris' mayor, Bertrand Delanoë, who accused them of "disrupting" the passing of the torch from athlete David Douillet to Teddy Riner.[261]
  • 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.[262] 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."[263] The director-General of the National Police Agency 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."[262][264]
  • On April 7, the federal government of Australia ruled out any Chinese involvement in security operations when the Olympic torch arrives in Australia.[265] 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".[266] On April 22, Chinese ambassador to Australia Zhang Junsai stated that the flame attendants would "use their bodies" to protect the torch in Canberra. Following a talk with Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates, Ambassador Zhang subsequently said that his statement had been "misinterpreted".[267] Coates said that the flame attendants were "technical assistants", and re-iterated that they would play no security role.[268] Shortly before the beginning of the Canberra relay, Australian and Chinese officials argued in public over the role of the flame attendants, during a press conference. Beijing spokesman Qu Yingpu stated that the attendants' role included security, a claim immediately rejected by Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, who, sitting a few metres from Qu and "clearly furious" according to the Herald Sun, re-iterated once more that Australian police would handle all security.[269] The International Olympic Committee subsequently backed Australia's position, with IOC president Jacques Rogge stating: "The sovereignty of Australia is absolute; security is a matter for Australia, it is not a matter for these people, that is very clear."[270] During the relay itself, three Chinese guards nonetheless attempted to run alongsided the torchbearers, and were repeatedly pulled away by Australian police.[271]

IOC Response

In response to these controversies, the International Olympic Committee noted on April 9 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".[254] The Chinese government has also responded to the criticism, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu stating: "Relevant countries should have a clear understanding of the rules of the escorts and understand their work. They have used their bodies to protect the torch, so their acts should be praised and the violent acts of those Tibet independence elements be condemned."[272] Also, 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 the 2004 Olympic torch relay, Greek security officials followed and monitored the movement of the Olympic flame.[273]

Reactions

In China, a call to boycott French hypermart Carrefour from May 1 began spreading through mobile text messaging and online chat rooms amongst the Chinese over the weekend from April 12, accusing the company's major shareholder, the LVMH Group, of donating funds to the Dalai Lama.[31] There were also calls to extend the boycott to include French luxury goods and cosmetic products.[32] Chinese protesters organized boycotts of the French-owned retail chain Carrefour in major Chinese cities including Kunming, Hefei and Wuhan, accusing the French nation of pro-secessionist conspiracy and anti-Chinese racism. Some burned French flags, some added Swastika (due to its connotations with Nazism) to the French flag,[34] and spread short online messages calling for large protests in front of French consulates and embassy. Some shoppers who insisted on entering one of the Carrefour stores in Kunming were blocked by boycotters wielding large Chinese flags and hit by water bottles.[35] Hundreds of people joined Anti-French rallies in Beijing, Wuhan, Hefei, Kunming and Qingdao,[36] which quickly spread to other cities like Xi'an, Harbin and Jinan.[274] Carrefour denied any support or involvement in the Tibetan issue, and had its staff in its Chinese stores wear uniforms emblazoned with the Chinese national flag and caps with Olympic insignia and as well as the words "Beijing 2008" to show its support for the games. The effort had to be ceased when the BOCOG deemed the use of official Olympic insignia as illegal and a violation of copyright.[275]

The more the Dalai Lama clique tries to disrupt the Olympic torch relay and some Western politicians and media take advantage to launch attacks and condemn China, the more we need to unify with the people of the world to hold a successful Olympic Games.[276]

In response to the demonstrations, the Chinese government attempted to calm the situation, possibly fearing the protests may spiral out of control as has happened in recent years, including the anti-Japanese protests in 2005. State media and commentaries began to call for calm, such as an editorial in the People's Daily which urged Chinese people to "express [their] patriotic enthusiasm calmly and rationally, and express patriotic aspiration in an orderly and legal manner".[37] The government also began to patrol and censor the internet forums such as Sohu.com, with comments related to the Carrefour boycott removed.[33] In the days prior to the planned boycott, evidence of efforts by Chinese authorities to choke the mass boycott's efforts online became even more evident, including barring searches of words related to the French protests, but protests broke out nonetheless in front of Carrefour's stores at Beijing, Changsha, Fuzhou and Shenyang on May 1.[277]

Pro-China rallies and demonstrations were held in several cities in response to the relay protests, including Paris, London, Berlin and Los Angeles.[278]

In Japan, the Mayor of Nagano Shoichi Washizawa said that it has become a "great nuisance" for the city to host the torch relay prior to the Nagano leg. Washizawa's aides said the mayor's remark was not criticism about the relay itself but about the potential disruptions and confusion surrounding it.[279]　A city employee of the Nagano City Office ridiculed the protests in Europe, saying "they are doing something foolish" in a televised interview. The City Office officially apologized later and explained what he had wanted to say was "such violent protests were not easy to accept".[280] Also citing concerns about protests as well as the recent violence in Tibet, a major Buddhist temple in Nagano cancelled its plans to host the opening stage of the Olympic torch relay.[281] This temple was vandalised by an unidentified person the day after in apparent revenge.[282]

See also

References

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External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2008 Summer Olympics torches and torch relay.

Official sites

  • Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in Hong Kong

Official videos

  • : Almaty
  • : Saint Petersburg
  • : London
  • : Paris
  • : San Francisco
  • : Buenos Aires
  • : Dar es Salaam
  • : Muscat
  • : Islamabad
  • : New Delhi
  • : Bangkok
  • : Kuala Lumpur
  • : Jakarta
  • : Canberra
  • : Nagano
  • : Seoul
  • : Pyongyang

Other sites

  • Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay Google Map
  • "The torch's route around the world" – a step by step overview by the BBC
  • BBC video of the torch relay in Bangkok, showing supporters with Chinese flags, and pro-Tibet protesters
  • Video on YouTube Olympic Torch Relay in London
  • Video on YouTube Olympic Torch Relay in Paris
  • Pictures from Olympic Torch Relay and protests in San Francisco Part 2 Part 3

March 29, 2023
2008, summer, olympics, torch, relay, from, march, until, august, 2008, prior, 2008, summer, olympics, with, theme, world, dream, plans, relay, were, announced, april, 2007, beijing, china, relay, also, called, organizers, journey, harmony, lasted, days, carri. The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8 2008 prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics with the theme of one world one dream Plans for the relay were announced on April 26 2007 in Beijing China 1 The relay also called by the organizers as the Journey of Harmony lasted 129 days and carried the torch 137 000 km 85 000 mi the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay since the tradition was started ahead of the 1936 Summer Olympics Host cityBeijing ChinaCountries visitedGreece China Kazakhstan Turkey Russia United Kingdom France United States Argentina Tanzania Oman Pakistan India Thailand Malaysia Indonesia Australia Japan South Korea North Korea Vietnam Hong Kong MacauDistance137 000 km 85 000 mi ThemeJourney of HarmonyStart dateMarch 24 2008End dateAugust 8 2008The 2008 Olympic Torch in London After being lit at the birthplace of the Olympic Games in Olympia Greece on March 24 the torch traveled to the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens and then to Beijing arriving on March 31 From Beijing the torch was following a route passing through six continents The torch has visited cities along the Silk Road symbolizing ancient links between China and the rest of the world The relay also included an ascent with the flame to the top of Mount Everest on the border of Nepal and Tibet China from the Chinese side which was closed specially for the event 2 In many cities along the North American and European route the torch relay was protested by advocates of Tibetan independence animal rights and legal online gambling 3 and people protesting against China s human rights record 4 5 resulting in confrontations at a few of the relay locations These protests which ranged from thousands of people in San Francisco 6 forced the path of the torch relay to be changed or shortened on a number of occasions The torch was extinguished by Chinese security officials several times during the Paris leg for security reasons and once in protest in Paris 7 The attacks on the torch in London and Paris were described as despicable by the Chinese government condemning them as deliberate disruptions who gave no thought to the Olympic spirit or the laws of Britain and France and who tarnish the lofty Olympic spirit and vowed they would continue with the relay and not allow the protests to impede the Olympic spirit 8 Large scale counter protests by overseas Chinese and foreign based Chinese nationals became prevalent in later segments of the relay No major protests were visible in the Latin America Africa and Western Asia legs of the torch relay Prompted by the chaotic torch relays in Western Europe and North America the president of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge described the situation as a crisis for the organization and stated that any athletes displaying Tibetan flags at Olympic venues could be expelled from the games 9 10 However he stopped short of cancelling the relay altogether despite calls to do so by some IOC members 11 The outcome of the relay influenced the IOC s decision to scrap global relays in future editions of the games 12 13 In June 2008 the Beijing Games Organizing Committee announced that the planned international torch relay for the Paralympic Games had been cancelled The Committee stated that the relay was being cancelled to enable the Chinese government to focus on the rescue and relief work following the Sichuan earthquake 14 Contents 1 Relay elements 1 1 Torch 1 2 Lanterns 1 3 Aircraft 1 4 Route 2 Sequence of events 2 1 International and HK amp Macau leg 2 2 Domestic Mainland China leg 3 Controversies 3 1 Media coverage 3 2 Torch security 4 Reactions 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 7 1 Official sites 7 2 Official videos 7 3 Other sitesRelay elements EditTorch Edit 2008 Olympic Torch on display in Vilnius Lithuania Main article 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 It is 72 centimetres high and weighs 985 grams The torch is designed to remain lit in 65 kilometre per hour 37 mile per hour winds and in rain of up to 50 millimetres 2 inches per hour 15 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 16 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 Edit The Olympic flame is supposed to remain lit for the whole relay 17 When the Torch is extinguished at night on aircraft in bad weather or during protests such as the several occasions in Paris 18 the Olympic flame is kept alight in a set of 8 lanterns citation needed Aircraft Edit Internationally the torch and its accompanying party traveled in a chartered Air China Airbus A330 registered B 6075 painted in the red and yellow colors of the Olympic Games 19 20 Air China was chosen by the Beijing Committees of the Olympic Game as the designated Olympic torch carrier in March 2008 for its long standing participation in the Olympic cause The plane traveled a total of 137 000 km 85 000 mi for a duration of 130 days through 21 countries and regions 20 21 Route Edit Beijing 2008 Torch Relay Route around the world 2008 Torch Relay in China Main article 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay route The route carried the torch through six continents 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 Chinese Taipei 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 22 but further disputes arose over the flag or the anthem of the Republic of China along the 24 km torch route in Taiwan 23 By the midnight deadline for concluding the negotiation on September 21 2007 Taiwan and mainland 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 24 Sequence of events EditInternational and HK amp Macau leg Edit Greece On March 24 2008 the Olympic Flame was ignited at Olympia Greece site of the ancient Olympic Games 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 25 Following the recent unrest in Tibet three members of Reporters Without Borders including Robert Menard 26 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 27 The People s Republic of China called this a disgraceful attempt to sabotage the Olympics 28 On March 30 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 29 After the hand off protests continued internationally with particularly violent confrontations with police in Nepal 30 China In China the torch was first welcomed by Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang and State Councilor Liu Yandong It was subsequently passed onto CPC General Secretary Hu Jintao A call to boycott French hypermart Carrefour from May 1 began spreading through mobile text messaging and online chat rooms amongst the Chinese over the weekend from April 12 accusing the company s major shareholder the LVMH Group of donating funds to the Dalai Lama 31 There were also calls to extend the boycott to include French luxury goods and cosmetic products 32 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 33 Chinese protesters organized boycotts of the French owned retail chain Carrefour in major Chinese cities including Kunming Hefei and Wuhan accusing the French nation of pro secessionist conspiracy and anti Chinese racism Some burned French flags some added Nazism s Swastika to the French flag 34 and spread short online messages calling for large protests in front of French consulates and embassy The Carrefour boycott was met with anti boycott demonstrators who insisted on entering one of the Carrefour stores in Kunming only to be blocked by boycotters wielding large Chinese flags and hit by water bottles 35 The BBC reported that hundreds of people demonstrated in Beijing Wuhan Hefei Kunming and Qingdao 36 In response to the demonstrations an editorial in the People s Daily urged Chinese people to express their patriotic enthusiasm calmly and rationally and express patriotic aspiration in an orderly and legal manner 37 Kazakhstan 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 There were reports that Uighur activists were arrested and some were deported back to China 38 Turkey The torch relay leg in Istanbul held on April 3 started on Sultanahmet Square and finished in Taksim Square Uyghurs living in Turkey protested at Chinese treatment of their compatriots living in Xinjiang Several protesters who tried to disrupt the relay were promptly arrested by the police 39 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 Mixed martial arts icon and former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko was one of the torch bearers This gives him the distinction of the being the first active MMA fighter to carry the Olympic flame Arrival of the Olympic Torch in the O2 Arena Great Britain The torch relay leg held in London the host city of the 2012 Summer Olympics on April 6 began at Wembley Stadium passed through the City of London and eventually ended at O2 Arena in the eastern part of the city The 48 km 30 mi leg took a total of seven and a half hours to complete and attracted protests by pro Tibetan independence and pro Human Rights supporters prompting changes to the planned route and an unscheduled move onto a bus which was then briefly halted by protesters 40 Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has officially complained to Beijing Organising Committee about the conduct of the tracksuit clad Chinese security guards The Chinese officials seen manhandling protesters were described by both the London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Lord Coe chairman of the London Olympic Committee as thugs 41 A Metropolitan police briefing paper revealed that security for the torch relay cost 750 000 and the participation of the Chinese security team had been agreed in advance despite the Mayor stating We did not know beforehand these thugs were from the security services Had I known so we would have said no 42 Protesters at the torch relay through London Of the 80 torch bearers 43 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 43 Francesca Martinez and Richard Vaughan refused to carry the torch 44 while Konnie Huq decided to carry it and also speak out against China 45 The pro Tibetan Member of Parliament Norman Baker asked all bearers to reconsider 44 Amid pressure from both directions Prime Minister Gordon Brown welcomed the torch outside 10 Downing Street without holding or touching it 46 The London relay saw the torch surrounded by what the BBC described as a mobile protective ring 46 Protests began as soon as Redgrave started the event leading to at least thirty five arrests 46 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 47 46 The Chinese ambassador carried the torch through Chinatown after an unpublicized change to the route amid security concerns 46 The torch made an unscheduled move onto a bus along Fleet Street amid security concerns and efforts to evade the protesters 46 48 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 49 Manifestation un Paris Beijing 2008 An allegedly Tibetan protester attempts to take the torch from disabled torch bearer Jin Jing by violence in Paris 50 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 Charlety 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 51 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 52 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 53 Members from Reporters Without Borders turned out in large numbers to protest 54 An estimated 3 000 French police protected the Olympic torch relay as it departed from the Eiffel Tower and criss crossed Paris amid threat of protests 55 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 56 and load the torch onto a bus 7 at the demand of Chinese officials 57 This was later denied by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs 58 despite video footage broadcast by French television network France 2 which showed Chinese flame attendants extinguishing the torch 59 Backup flames are with the relay at all times to relight the torch 60 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 61 The Chinese officials decided they would not stop here because they were upset by Parisian citizens expressing their support for human rights 62 Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe 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 63 The third torchbearer in the Paris leg Jin Jing who was disabled and carried the torch on a wheelchair was assaulted several times by unidentified protesters seemingly from the pro Tibet independent camp 64 65 66 In interviews Jin Jing said that she was tugged at scratched and kicked 66 67 but that she did not feel the pain at the time She received praise from ethnic Chinese worldwide 65 68 as Angel in Wheelchair The Chinese government gave the comment that the Chinese respect France a lot but Paris has slapped its own face 69 Tibetan demonstrators kept on the sidelines by a cordon of gendarmes Place de l Hotel 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 70 Several hundred pro Tibet protesters gathered at the Trocadero with banners and Tibetan flags and remained there for a peaceful protest never approaching the torch relay itself 71 Among them was Jane Birkin who spoke to the media about the lack of freedom of speech in China 72 Also present was Thupten Gyatso President of the French Tibetan community who called upon pro Tibet demonstrators to remain calm non violent peaceful 73 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 74 French police were criticised for their handling of the events and notably for confiscating Tibetan flags from demonstrators The newspaper Liberation commented The police did so much that only the Chinese were given freedom of expression The Tibetan flag was forbidden everywhere except on the Trocadero 75 Minister of the Interior Michele Alliot Marie later stated that the police had not been ordered to do so and that they had acted on their own initiative 76 A cameraman for France 2 was struck in the face by a police officer knocked unconscious and had to be sent to hospital 77 A People s Republic of China flag and a Free Panchen Lama poster with a picture of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima The Ferry Building can seen in the background United States of America 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 78 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 79 The route changes allowed the run to avoid large numbers of China supporters and protesters against China As people found out there would be no closing ceremony at Justin Herman Plaza there were angry reactions 79 One demonstrator was quoted as saying that the route changes were an effort to thwart any organized protest that had been planned 79 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 79 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 79 People who saw the torch were surprised and cheered as shown from live video of CBS and NBC The cost to the city for hosting the event was reported to be US 726 400 nearly half of which has been recovered by private fundraising Mayor Gavin Newsom said that exponential costs associated with mass arrests were avoided by his decision to change the route in consultation with police chief Heather Fong 80 Part of a large group of pro Tibetan protesters moving south along the northbound lanes of The Embarcadero come into contact with pro Chinese protesters near Pier 1 in the early afternoon 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 April 9 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 81 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 82 Some advocates for Tibet Darfur and Falun Gong recognized as cult in mainland China planned to protest the April 9 arrival of the torch in San Francisco 83 China had already requested the torch route in San Francisco be shortened 84 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 85 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 86 The three activists and five supporters face charges related to trespassing conspiracy and causing a public nuisance 87 The torch was lit at a park outside at AT amp T Park at about 1 17 pm PDT 20 17 UTC briefly held aloft by American and 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 88 There were clashes between thousands of pro China demonstrators many of whom said they were bused in by the Chinese Consulate and other pro China groups and both pro Tibet and Darfur protesters The non Chinese demonstrators were reported to have been swamped and trailed by angry crowds 79 Around 2 pm PDT 21 00 UTC the torch resurfaced about 3 km 1 9 mi 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 89 During the torch relay two torchbearers Andrew Michael who uses a wheelchair and is the Vice President for Sustainable Development for the Bay Area Council and Director of Partnerships For Change and an environmental advocate Majora Carter managed to display Tibetan flags in protest resulting in their ejection from the relay 90 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 79 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 91 International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said the San Francisco relay had fortunately avoided much of the disruptions that marred the legs in London and Paris but was however not the joyous party that we had wished it to be 92 Activists at the human rights torch relay in Buenos Aires carried signs protesting China s treatment of Falun Gong 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 Espinola 93 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 94 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 95 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 96 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 97 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 98 The torch in Buenos AiresThe outreach director of HRTR Susan Prager is also the communication director of Friends of Falun Gong a quasi government non profit funded by fmr Congressman Tom Lanto s wife and Ambassador Mark Palmer of NED 99 A major setback to the event was caused by footballer Diego Maradona scheduled to open the relay through Buenos Aires pulling out in an attempt to avoid the Olympic controversy 100 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 101 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 102 Tanzania Dar es Salaam was the torch s only stop in Africa on April 13 The relay began at the grand terminal of the TAZARA Railway which was China s largest foreign aid project of the 1970s and continued for 5 km through the old city to the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Temeke which was built with Chinese aid in 2005 103 The torch was lit by Vice President Ali Mohamed Shein 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 104 Sultanate of Oman Muscat was the torch s only stop in the Middle East on April 14 The relay covered 20 km No protests or incidents were reported 105 One of the torchbearers was Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji 106 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 Security was high for what one newspaper called the most sensitive leg of the torch s Olympic journey 107 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 107 and replaced by an indoors ceremony with the torch carried around the track of Jinnah Stadium 108 In fear of violent protests and bomb attacks the torch relay in Pakistan took place in a stadium behind closed doors Although the relay was behind closed doors thousands of policemen and soldiers guarded the flame As a consequence no incidents arose 109 India Due to concerns about pro Tibet protests the relay through New Delhi on April 17 was cut to just 2 3 km less than 1 5 miles which was shared amongst 70 runners It concluded at the India Gate 110 The event was peaceful due to the public not being allowed at the relay 111 A total of five intended torchbearers Kiran Bedi Soha Ali Khan Sachin Tendulkar Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Gavaskar withdrew from the event citing personal reasons 112 or in Bhutia s case explicitly wishing to stand by the people of Tibet and their struggle and protest against the PRC crackdown in Tibet 113 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 114 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 115 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 116 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 am local time the news was later denied by anonymous sources in Delhi 117 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 118 India rejected Chinese demands that the torch route be clear 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 119 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 119 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 120 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 121 On April 15 Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan pulled out of the Olympic torch relay citing very strong personal reasons 122 On April 16 a protest was organised in Delhi against Chinese repression in Tibet and was broken up by the police 123 Thailand The April 18 relay through Bangkok was the Olympic flame s first visit to Thailand The relay covered just over 10 km and included Bangkok s Chinatown 124 The torch was carried past Democracy Monument Chitralada Palace and a number of other city landmarks 125 M R Narisa Chakrabongse Green World Foundation GWF chairwoman withdrew from the torch running ceremony protesting against China s actions in Tibet 126 Several hundred protesters were present along with Olympic supporters 127 Thai authorities threatened to arrest foreign protesters and ban them from future entry into Thailand 128 A coalition of Thai human rights groups announced that it would organise a small demonstration during the relay 129 and several hundred people did indeed take part in protests facing Beijing supporters 127 Intended torchbearer Mom Rajawongse Narissara Chakrabongse boycotted the relay to protest against China s actions in Tibet 130 In Bangkok students told the media that the Chinese Embassy provided them with transportation and gave them shirts to wear 131 Malaysia The event was held in the capital city Kuala Lumpur on April 21 The 16 5 km long relay began from the historic Independence Square passed in front of several city landmarks before coming to an end at the iconic Petronas Twin Towers 132 Among the landmarks the Olympic flame passed next to were the Parliament House National Mosque KL Tower and Merdeka Stadium A team of 1000 personnel from the Malaysian police Special Action Squad guarded the event and escorted the torchbearers The last time an Olympic torch relay was held in Malaysia was the 1964 Tokyo edition A group of youths surrounded a suspected Tibet supporter demonstrating during the torch relay in Kuala Lumpur 133 Just days before the relay supporters of Falun Gong demonstrated in front of the Chinese embassy in the Malaysian capital 134 As many as 1 000 personnel from the special police unit were expected to be deployed on the day of the relay 135 A Japanese family with Malaysian citizenship and their 5 year old child who unfurled a Tibetan flag were hit by a group of Chinese nationals with plastic air filled batons and heckled by a crowd of Chinese citizens during the confrontation at Independence Square where the relay began 136 and the Chinese group shouted Taiwan and Tibet belong to China 137 Later during the day the Chinese volunteers forcefully took away placards from two other Malaysians protesting at the relay One of the protesting Malaysian was hit in the head 133 Indonesia The Olympic flame reached Jakarta on April 22 The original 20 km relay through Jakarta was cancelled due to security worries at the request of the Chinese embassy 138 and the torch was instead carried round the city main s stadium as it had been in Islamabad 139 Several dozen pro Tibet protesters gathered near the stadium and were dispersed by the police 140 The event was held in the streets around the city main s stadium The cancelling of the relay through the city itself was decided due to security concerns and at the request of the Chinese embassy 141 Only invitees and journalists were admitted inside the stadium Protests took place outside the stadium 142 Lifetime Olympic official 92 year old Julius Judy Patching hands over to Jake Warcaba at the Stone of Remembrance Canberra Two Chinese flame attendants stand either side assisting the two runners A policeman stands to the left Spectators holding Chinese flags during the Canberra leg of the relay Australia The event was held in Canberra Australian Capital Territory on April 24 and covered around 16 km of Canberra s central areas 143 from Reconciliation Place to Commonwealth Park 144 Upon its arrival in Canberra the Olympic flame was presented by Chinese officials to local Aboriginal elder Agnes Shea of the Ngunnawal people 145 She in turn offered them a message stick as a gift of peace and welcome 146 Hundreds of pro Tibet protesters and thousands of Chinese students reportedly attended 147 Demonstrators and counter demonstrators were kept apart by the Australian Federal Police 147 Preparations for the event were marred by a disagreement over the role of the Chinese flame attendants with Australian and Chinese officials arguing publicly over their function and prerogatives during a press conference 148 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 149 Chinese officials labeled it a rumor 150 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 151 Tony Goh chairman of the Australian Council of Chinese Organisations has said the ACCO would be taking thousands of pro Beijing demonstrators to Canberra by bus to support the torch relay 152 Zhang Rongan a Chinese Australian student organising pro Beijing demonstrations told the press that Chinese diplomats were assisting with the organization of buses meals and accommodation for pro Beijing demonstrators and helping them organise a peaceful show of strength 153 Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Chinese officials were urging supporters to turn up and put a point of view but that he had no objection to it as long as they remained peaceful 154 Chinese spectators holding signs in Canberra Intended torchbearer Lin Hatfield Dodds withdrew from the event explaining that she wished to express concern about China s human rights record 155 Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said her decision was a very good example of peacefully making a point 154 Up to 600 pro Tibet protesters were expected to attend the relay along with between 2 000 and 10 000 Chinese supporters 154 Taking note of the high number of Chinese supporters Ted Quinlan head of the Canberra torch relay committee said We didn t expect this reaction from the Chinese community It is obviously a well coordinated plan to take the day by weight of numbers But we have assurances that it will be done peacefully 156 Also Australia s ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope confirmed that the Chinese embassy was closely involved to ensure that pro China demonstrators vastly outnumbered Tibetan activists 157 Australian freestyle swimmer and five time Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe ended the Australian leg of the torch relay April 24 2008 touching the flame to light a cauldron after a run that was only marginally marked by protests People demonstrated both for China and for Tibet At least five people were arrested during the torch relay Police said the five were arrested for interfering with the event under special powers enacted in the wake of massive protests against Chinese policy toward Tibet 158 At one point groups of Chinese students surrounded and intimidated pro Tibet protesters One person had to be pulled aboard a police launch when a group of pro Chinese students looked like they might force him into the lake 159 Japan The event was held in Nagano which hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics on April 26 Japanese Buddhist temple Zenkō ji which was originally scheduled to be the starting point for the Olympic torch relay in Nagano refused to host the torch and pulled out of the relay plans amid speculation that monks there sympathized with anti Chinese government protesters 160 as well as the risk of disruption by violent protests 161 Parts of Zenkō ji temple s main building Zenkō ji Hondō reconstructed in 1707 and one of the National Treasures of Japan was then vandalized with spraypaint A new starting point previously the site of a municipal building and now a parking lot was chosen by the city 162 Thousands of riot police were mobilized to protect the torch along its route The show of force kept most protesters in check but slogans shouted by pro China or pro Tibet demonstrators Japanese nationalists and human rights organizations flooded the air Five men were arrested and four injured amidst scenes of mob violence 163 The torch route was packed with mostly peaceful demonstrators The public was not allowed at the parking lot where the relay started After the Zenkoji monks held a prayer ceremony for victims of the recent events in Tibet More than 100 police officers ran with the torch and riot police lined the streets while three helicopters flew above Only two Chinese guards were allowed to accompany the torch because of Japan s concern over their treatment of demonstrators at previous relays A man with a Tibetan flag tried to stop the torch at the beginning of the relay but was dragged off by police Some raw eggs were also thrown from the crowd 164 A young man at the relay in Seoul wearing a Daegu University shirt with the phrase Tibet belongs to China written on it South Korea The event was held in Seoul which hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics on April 27 Intended torchbearers Choi Seung kook and Park Won sun boycotted the event to protest against the Chinese government s crackdown in Tibet 165 More than 8 000 riot police were deployed to guard the 24 kilometre route which began at Olympic Park which was built when Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Games 131 On the day of the torch relay in Seoul Chinese students clashed with protesters throwing rocks bottles and punches A North Korean defector whose brother defected to China but was captured and executed by the DPRK attempted to set himself on fire in protest of China s treatment of North Korean refugees He poured gasoline on himself but police quickly surrounded him and carried him away Two other demonstrators tried to storm the torch but failed Fighting broke out near the beginning of the relay between a group of 500 Chinese supporters and approximately 50 protesters who carried a banner that read Free North Korean refugees in China The students threw stones and water bottles as approximately 2 500 police tried to keep the groups separated Police said they arrested five people including a Chinese student who was arrested for allegedly throwing rocks Thousands of Chinese followed the torch on its 4 5 hour journey some chanting Go China go Olympics 166 By the end of the relay Chinese students became violent and it was reported in Korean media that they were lynching everyone who was disagreeing with them One police man was also rushed to hospital after being attacked by Chinese students 167 168 On Apr 29 the Secretary of Justice Kim Kyung Han told the prime minister that he will find every single Chinese who was involved and bring them to justice 169 Later in the day South Korea s Prosecutor s Office National Police Agency Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Intelligence Service made a joint statement saying that they will be deporting every Chinese student that was involved in the incident 170 China defended the conduct of the students 171 North Korea The event was held in Pyongyang on April 28 It was the first time that the Olympic torch has traveled to North Korea A crowd of thousands waving pink paper flowers and small flags with the Beijing Olympics logo were organized by the authoritarian regime 172 watched the beginning of the relay in Pyongyang some waving Chinese flags The event was presided over by the head of the country s parliament Kim Yong Nam The North an ally of China has been critical of disruptions to the torch relay elsewhere and has supported Beijing in its actions against protests in Tibet Kim passed the torch to the first runner Pak Du Ik who played on North Korea s 1966 World Cup soccer team as he began the 19 kilometre route through Pyongyang The relay began from the large sculpted flame of the obelisk of the Juche Tower which commemorates the national ideology of Juche or self reliance created by the country s late founding President Kim Il Sung father of leader Kim Jong Il who did not attend The United Nations Organization and its children s agency UNICEF withdrew their staff saying that it was not sure the event would help its mission of raising awareness of conditions for children 173 and amid concerns that the relay would be used as a propaganda stunt It was unconscionable said a UN official who was briefed on the arguments North Korea is frequently listed among the world s worst offenders against human rights Vietnam The event was held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 29 Some 60 torchbearers carried the torch from the downtown Opera House to the Military Zone 7 Competition Hall stadium near Tan Son Nhat International Airport along an undisclosed route Vietnam is involved in a territorial dispute with China and other countries for sovereignty of the Spratly and Paracel Islands tensions have risen recently when following reports that the Chinese government had established a county level city named Sansha in the disputed territories 174 resulting in anti Chinese demonstrations in December 2007 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City However to sustain its relationship with China the Vietnamese government has actively sought to head off protests during the torch relay with Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng warning government agencies that hostile forces may try to disrupt the torch relay 175 Prior to the rally seven anti China protesters were arrested in Hanoi after unfurling a banner and shouting Boycott the Beijing Olympics through a loudhailer at a market 176 A Vietnamese American was deported for planning protests against the torch 177 while a prominent blogger Điếu Cay real name Nguyễn Văn Hải who blogged about protests around the world and who called for demonstrations in Vietnam was arrested on charges of tax evasion 178 Outside Vietnam there were protests by overseas Vietnamese in Paris San Francisco and Canberra Le Minh Phiếu a torchbearer who is a Vietnamese law student studying 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 179 One day before the relay was to start the official website appeared to have been updated to remove the disputed islands and dotted lines marking China s maritime claims in the South China Sea 180 Relay runner Rosanna Sze Hang Yue carrying Olympic torch on a dragon boat for the first time A relay runner and artist Leo Ku on Nathan Road Hong Kong The event was held in Hong Kong on May 2 In the ceremony held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui Chief Executive Donald Tsang handed the torch to the first torchbearer Olympic medalist Lee Lai Shan 181 The torch relay then traveled through Nathan Road Lantau Link Sha Tin crossed Shing Mun River via a dragon boat which had been never used before in the history of Olympic torch relays 182 183 Victoria Harbour crossed by Tin Hau a VIP vessel managed by the Marine Department before ending in Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai 184 A total of 120 torchbearers were selected to participate in the event 185 consisting of celebrities athletes and pro Beijing camp politicians No politicians from the pro democracy camp were selected as torchbearers 186 One torchbearer could not participate due to flight delay 187 It was estimated that more than 200 000 spectators came out and watched the relay 184 Many enthusiastic supporters wore red shirts and waved large Chinese flags 188 According to Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang 3 000 police were deployed to ensure order 189 There were several protests along the torch relay route Members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China including pro democracy activist Szeto Wah waved novelty inflatable plastic Olympic flames which they said symbolised democracy 190 They wanted accountability for the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the implementation of democracy in Hong Kong 191 Political activist and Legislative Council member Leung Kwok hung Longhair also joined the protest saying I m very proud that in Hong Kong we still have people brave enough to speak out 188 Pro democracy activists were overwhelmed by a crowd of torch supporters with insults like running dog traitor get out and I love the Communist Party 192 193 At the same time about 10 members of the Civil Human Rights Front had orange banners calling for human rights improvements and universal suffrage Onlookers were saying Aren t you Chinese in Mandarin putonghua as they tried to cover the orange banners with a large Chinese national flag 190 One woman had an orange sign that said Olympic flame for democracy while a man carried a poster with a tank and the slogan One world two dreams A university student and former RDHK radio host Christina Chan wrapped the Tibetan snow lion flag around her body and later began waving it Several onlookers heckled Chan shouting What kind of Chinese are you and What a shame 193 194 In the end she and some of the protesters were taken away against their will by the authorities via a police vehicle for their own protection 195 196 Chan is currently when suing the Hong Kong government claiming her human rights were breached case number HCAL139 08 The Color Orange democracy group led by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot originally planned to join the Hong Kong Alliance relay and paint the Pillar of Shame a structure he built in Hong Kong to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests 188 However Galschiot and two other people were denied entry to Hong Kong on April 26 2008 due to immigration reasons and were forced to leave Hong Kong 197 In response Lee Cheuk Yan vice chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China said It s outrageous that the government is willing to sacrifice the image of Hong Kong because of the torch relay 188 Hollywood actress Mia Farrow was also briefly questioned at the Hong Kong airport though officials allowed her to enter She later gave a speech criticizing China s relations with Sudan in Hong Kong as there was also a small minority of people protesting about China s role in the crisis of Darfur 198 Legislator Cheung Man Kwong have also said the government s decision allowing Farrow to enter while denying others is a double standard and a violation to Hong Kong s one country two systems policy 199 Fuwa designs along the relay way Macao The event was held in Macau on May 3 It was the first time that the Olympic torch had traveled to Macau A ceremony was held at Macau Fisherman s Wharf Afterward the torch traveled through Macau passing by a number of landmarks including A Ma Temple Macau Tower Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho Ponte de Sai Van Macau Cultural Centre Macau Stadium and then back to the Fisherman s Wharf for the closing ceremony Parts of the route near Ruins of St Paul s and Taipa was shortened due to large crowds of supporters blocking narrow streets 200 A total of 120 torchbearers participated in this event including casino tycoon Stanley Ho 201 Leong Hong Man and Leong Heng Teng were the first and last torchbearer in the relay respectively 202 An article published on Macao Daily News criticized that the list of the torchbearers could not fully represent the Macanese and that there were too many non athletes among the torchbearers some of whom had already been torchbearers of other sporting events 203 A union planned to protest at the relay for better living conditions 204 Hong Kong legislator Michael Mak Kwok fung and activist Chan Cheong both members of the League of Social Democrats were not allowed to enter Macau 205 A Macau resident was arrested on April 26 for posting a message on cyberctm com encouraging people to disrupt the relay Both orchidbbs com and cyberctm com Internet forums were shut down from May 2 to 4 This fueled speculation that the shutdowns were targeting speeches against the relay The head of the Bureau of Telecommunications Regulation has denied that the shutdowns of the websites were politically motivated 206 About 2 200 police were deployed on the streets there were no interruptions 207 Domestic Mainland China leg Edit Mainland China The torch returned to China for the first time since April The torch arrived in Sanya Hainan on May 4 with celebrations attended by International Olympic Committee IOC officials and Chinese big names like Jackie Chan The entire relay through Mainland China was largely a success with many people welcoming the arrival of the torch along the way Some notable incidents were During the Fujian run the relay carried a cross strait theme since the province is geographically across from Taiwan The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games invited people from Taiwan to witness the torch relay but the organisers offered no further details 208 On May 8 a simultaneous run of the torch was done as part of the summit on Mount Everest A 28 year old man in Jiangsu known as Tang was arrested for spreading rumors online he would go to Nanjing the May 27 leg to grab the torch 209 The last leg of the Fujian run was gloomily shadowed by the May 12 Sichuan earthquake 210 As a result the relay began on May 14 with a moment of silence as the torch made its way through the province of Jiangxi From May 19 through 21 the relay was suspended as the State Council designated these three days as national days of mourning for the victims in the earthquake 211 The relay through the province of Sichuan was postponed On May 23 the relay began in Shanghai Tens of thousands gathered at the famous People s Square and the Bund along the Huangpu River to welcome the torch It passed through Pudong the crown jewel of Shanghai s districts and PRC s financial capital The two day Shanghai leg concluded in Anting an automobile hub in Shanghai s suburbs and home to the city s Formula One Shanghai International Circuit 212 There was no interruptions On June 21 the relay began in the Tibet Autonomous Region The originally three day run was cut short to only one day likely due to the controversy surrounding the relay because of China s harsh response to the Lhasa riot and the other protests that swept the Tibetan plateau between March and May and also the delay to the relay due to the devastating Sichuan earthquake Xinhua China s official news agency claimed that organizations such as the Tibetan Youth Congress TYC and the Tibetan Women s Association TWA threatened to sabotage the relay but there is no evidence to support this and it contradicts statements from the organizations themselves 213 Meanwhile the other Olympic flame rejoined the Olympic flame used in the main torch relay route in Tibet after ascending Mount Everest 214 Zhang Qingli the Communist Party Secretary in Tibet drew criticism from the IOC who wrote to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games BOCOG saying that they regret the political statements made by Zhang during the relay after he claimed that they could totally smash the splittist schemes of the Dalai clique 215 On July 7 the torch was lit in Jiayuguan the Western end of the Great Wall of China 216 On August 3 the torch relay started in Sichuan after a devastated earthquake that killed almost 70 000 people in May Sichuan was the last stop before returning to Beijing for the opening ceremony 217 On August 8 the torch reached Beijing for the opening ceremony After a spectacular art show and the parade of nations the flame entered the stadium The Olympic torch was relayed by 7 torchbearers before it was passed on to former Olympic gymnast Li Ning Li who was suspended by wires then appeared to run horizontally along the top of the stadium and lit the Olympic cauldron After it was lit a spectacular firework show followed signaling the official beginning of the 29th Olympiad 218 Controversies EditMedia coverage Edit The coverage of the events by the media came under scrutiny during the relay 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 219 whereas Chinese netizens have in turn accused Western media coverage of being biased 220 The French newspaper Liberation was criticised by the Chinese State press agency Xinhua for its allegedly biased reporting Xinhua suggested that Liberation needed a stinging slap in the face for having insulted the Olympic flame and supported a handful of saboteurs 221 In response to pro Tibet and pro human rights protests the Chinese media focused on the more disruptive protesters referring 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 222 However the Chinese media published articles about crowds supporting the torch relay 223 Xinhua and CCTV quoted relay spectators who condemned the protests 224 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 225 to a greater extent than Western media but not those who like Marie Jose Perec 226 expressed understanding and support for the protesters 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 227 Xinhua said that protesters were radicals who trampled human rights and whose activities were condemned by the people of the world who cordially love the Olympic spirit 228 Reports on the Delhi relay were similarly distinct Despite intended torchbearers Kiran Bedi 229 Soha Ali Khan 230 Sachin Tendulkar 231 and Bhaichung Bhutia 113 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 Ayaan Ali Khan and Rajinder Singh Rahelu all stating that sports and politics should not be mixed 232 Chinese media have also reported on Jin Jing 233 whom the official Chinese torch relay website described as heroic 234 and an angel 235 whereas Western media initially gave her little mention despite a Chinese claim that Chinese Paralympic athlete Jin Jing has garnered much attention from the media 236 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 237 The Telegraph also asked its readers to send their views in response to the question Is the West demonising China 238 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 239 Liberation also reported that it had been accused of bias by the Chinese media 240 On April 17 Xinhua condemned what it called biased coverage of the Lhasa riots and the Olympic torch relay by the U S based Cable News Network CNN 241 The same day the Chinese government called on CNN to apologise for having allegedly insulted the Chinese people and for attempting to incite the Chinese people against the government 242 CNN issued a statement on April 14 responded to China over thugs and goons comment by Jack Cafferty 243 On April 19 the BBC reported that 1 300 people had gathered outside BBC buildings in Manchester and London protesting against what they described as Western media bias 36 Several days earlier the BBC had published an article entitled The challenges of reporting in China responding to earlier criticism The BBC s Paul Danahar noted that Chinese people were now able to access the BBC News website for the first time after years of strict censorship and that many were critical of our coverage He provided readers with a reminder of censorship in China and added People who criticise the media for their coverage in Tibet should acknowledge that we were and still are banned from reporting there He also quoted critical Chinese responses and invited readers to comment 244 On April 20 the People s Daily published a report entitled Overseas Chinese rally against biased media coverage for Olympics It included images of Chinese people demonstrating in France the United Kingdom Germany and the United States One picture showed Chinese demonstrators holding a sign which claimed incorrectly 245 that the BBC had not reported on Jin Jing 246 The People s Daily quoted one protester who claimed the BBC on some of the recent events has misled the British public and the rest of the world by providing intensive untruthful reports and biased coverage 247 On April 4 there were reports of an Anti cnn website that criticizes the cable network s coverage of recent events The site appears to have been created by a Beijing citizen However foreign correspondents in Beijing claimed that the site may be a semi government made website A Chinese government spokesman said the site was spontaneously set up by a Chinese citizen angered over media coverage 248 Torch security Edit In blue Beijing Olympic Games Sacred Flame Protection Unit 249 escorting the Olympic Torch as it passes through Notting Hill in London The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee sent out a team of 30 unarmed attendants selected from the People s Armed Police to escort the flame throughout its journey 250 According to Asian Times sworn in as the Beijing Olympic Games Sacred Flame Protection Unit during a ceremony in August 2007 their main job was to keep the Olympic flame alight throughout the journey and to assist in transferring the flame between the torches the lanterns and the cauldrons 251 They wear matching blue tracksuits and are intended to accompany the torch every step of the way 252 One of the torch attendants dubbed Second Right Brother had developed a significant online fan base particularly among China s female netizens 253 Two additional teams of 40 attendants each accompanied the flame on its Mainland China route 251 This arrangement had however sparked several controversies Flashpoints On April 6 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 254 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 251 Konnie Huq reportedly described them as bloody aggressive and robotic 255 The BBC reported that London s Metropolitan Police criticized the Protection Unit for getting in the way of officers trying to restore calm 254 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 256 Damian Hockney a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority stated that there s no way people like that should be allowed on our streets 257 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 258 On April 25 the British government s national security department the Home Office passed complaints about Chinese security guards conduct during the London Olympic torch relay to the Olympic Games organisers Home Secretary Jacqui Smith stated that the guards had no policing powers and that they could only protect the Olympic flame by placing themselves between the offender and the torch bearer She also added We are raising concerns that have been reported in the media and by spectators at the torch relay with the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games through the event organisers 259 On April 7 during the torch s journey through Paris due to frequent attempts by protesters who were seemingly from the pro Tibet camp to capture or extinguish the torch flame attendants extinguished the torch on several occasions and removed it from the hands of torchbearers to place it aboard a bus 260 thus altering the intended relay This prompted criticism from Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe who accused them of disrupting the passing of the torch from athlete David Douillet to Teddy Riner 261 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 262 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 263 The director General of the National Police Agency 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 262 264 On April 7 the federal government of Australia ruled out any Chinese involvement in security operations when the Olympic torch arrives in Australia 265 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 266 On April 22 Chinese ambassador to Australia Zhang Junsai stated that the flame attendants would use their bodies to protect the torch in Canberra Following a talk with Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates Ambassador Zhang subsequently said that his statement had been misinterpreted 267 Coates said that the flame attendants were technical assistants and re iterated that they would play no security role 268 Shortly before the beginning of the Canberra relay Australian and Chinese officials argued in public over the role of the flame attendants during a press conference Beijing spokesman Qu Yingpu stated that the attendants role included security a claim immediately rejected by Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Jon Stanhope who sitting a few metres from Qu and clearly furious according to the Herald Sun re iterated once more that Australian police would handle all security 269 The International Olympic Committee subsequently backed Australia s position with IOC president Jacques Rogge stating The sovereignty of Australia is absolute security is a matter for Australia it is not a matter for these people that is very clear 270 During the relay itself three Chinese guards nonetheless attempted to run alongsided the torchbearers and were repeatedly pulled away by Australian police 271 IOC Response In response to these controversies the International Olympic Committee noted on April 9 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 254 The Chinese government has also responded to the criticism with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu stating Relevant countries should have a clear understanding of the rules of the escorts and understand their work They have used their bodies to protect the torch so their acts should be praised and the violent acts of those Tibet independence elements be condemned 272 Also 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 the 2004 Olympic torch relay Greek security officials followed and monitored the movement of the Olympic flame 273 Reactions EditIn China a call to boycott French hypermart Carrefour from May 1 began spreading through mobile text messaging and online chat rooms amongst the Chinese over the weekend from April 12 accusing the company s major shareholder the LVMH Group of donating funds to the Dalai Lama 31 There were also calls to extend the boycott to include French luxury goods and cosmetic products 32 Chinese protesters organized boycotts of the French owned retail chain Carrefour in major Chinese cities including Kunming Hefei and Wuhan accusing the French nation of pro secessionist conspiracy and anti Chinese racism Some burned French flags some added Swastika due to its connotations with Nazism to the French flag 34 and spread short online messages calling for large protests in front of French consulates and embassy Some shoppers who insisted on entering one of the Carrefour stores in Kunming were blocked by boycotters wielding large Chinese flags and hit by water bottles 35 Hundreds of people joined Anti French rallies in Beijing Wuhan Hefei Kunming and Qingdao 36 which quickly spread to other cities like Xi an Harbin and Jinan 274 Carrefour denied any support or involvement in the Tibetan issue and had its staff in its Chinese stores wear uniforms emblazoned with the Chinese national flag and caps with Olympic insignia and as well as the words Beijing 2008 to show its support for the games The effort had to be ceased when the BOCOG deemed the use of official Olympic insignia as illegal and a violation of copyright 275 The more the Dalai Lama clique tries to disrupt the Olympic torch relay and some Western politicians and media take advantage to launch attacks and condemn China the more we need to unify with the people of the world to hold a successful Olympic Games 276 In response to the demonstrations the Chinese government attempted to calm the situation possibly fearing the protests may spiral out of control as has happened in recent years including the anti Japanese protests in 2005 State media and commentaries began to call for calm such as an editorial in the People s Daily which urged Chinese people to express their patriotic enthusiasm calmly and rationally and express patriotic aspiration in an orderly and legal manner 37 The government also began to patrol and censor the internet forums such as Sohu com with comments related to the Carrefour boycott removed 33 In the days prior to the planned boycott evidence of efforts by Chinese authorities to choke the mass boycott s efforts online became even more evident including barring searches of words related to the French protests but protests broke out nonetheless in front of Carrefour s stores at Beijing Changsha Fuzhou and Shenyang on May 1 277 Pro China rallies and demonstrations were held in several cities in response to the relay protests including Paris London Berlin and Los Angeles 278 In Japan the Mayor of Nagano Shoichi Washizawa said that it has become a great nuisance for the city to host the torch relay prior to the Nagano leg Washizawa s aides said the mayor s remark was not criticism about the relay itself but about the potential disruptions and confusion surrounding it 279 A city employee of the Nagano City Office ridiculed the protests in Europe saying they are doing something foolish in a televised interview The City Office officially apologized later and explained what he had wanted to say was such violent protests were not easy to accept 280 Also citing concerns about protests as well as the recent violence in Tibet a major Buddhist temple in Nagano cancelled its plans to host the opening stage of the Olympic torch relay 281 This temple was vandalised by an unidentified person the day after in apparent revenge 282 See also Edit2004 Summer Olympics torch relay 2008 Summer Olympics summit of Mt Everest 2008 Summer Paralympics torch relay 2022 Winter Olympics torch relayReferences Edit Beijing 2008 BOCOG Announces Olympic Torch Relay Route International Olympic Committee April 26 2007 Archived from the original on April 29 2007 Retrieved April 26 2007 Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay Planned Route and Torch Design unveiled Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games April 26 2007 Archived from the original on April 29 2007 Retrieved April 26 2007 See also No change in Tibet torch rally route Times of India Retrieved April 10 2008 La Ganga Maria L April 10 2008 Olympic torch San Francisco Los Angeles Times Retrieved January 13 2009 Torch relay in San Francisco draws massive protest Archived March 25 2012 at the Wayback Machine CNN April 8 2008 Paris protests force cancellation of torch relay Archived April 8 2008 at the Wayback Machine MSNBC May 6 2008 Gordon Rachel et al April 10 2008 Torch leaves S F after surprise route shift SFGate com Retrieved August 16 2017 a b Paris protests force cancellation of torch relay MSNBC April 7 2008 Archived from the original on April 8 2008 Retrieved April 7 2008 China condemns despicable torch disruptions Reuters April 7 2008 IOC flags athlete free speech dilemma Archived April 15 2008 at the Wayback Machine The Australian April 12 2008 Olympic Official Calls Protests a Crisis The New York Times April 11 2008 IOC mulls cancellation of torch relay USAToday April 8 2008 IOC mulls abandoning international routes in future The Economic Times April 8 2008 Zinser Lynn March 27 2009 I O C Bars International Torch Relays The New York Times Retrieved August 3 2012 International torch relay for Beijing Paralympic Games cancelled Xinhua June 25 2008 The Beijing Olympic Torch Archived May 14 2013 at the Wayback Machine The Official Website of the 2008 Summer Olympics Torch Relay in Chinese 示威不斷 聖火難傳 境外是否續運 奧委周五定奪 Archived April 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine Apple Daily The Torch Relay lantern Archived April 8 2008 at the Wayback Machine The Official Website of the 2008 Summer Olympics Torch Relay in French La Chine condamne les troubles sur le parcours de la flame Archived April 12 2008 at the Wayback Machine France 24 April 8 2008 Olympic Torch Emits 5 500 Tons of CO2 ABC News April 9 2008 a b Air China Successfully Wins the Title of Designated Olympic Torch Carrier Reuters March 18 2008 Air China Carries the Olympic Torch around the Globe Wade Stephen April 26 2007 Taiwan rejects China s torch relay plans USA Today Retrieved April 26 2007 Editorial New Olympic event Torch tug of war The Taipei Times September 12 2007 Taiwan China Fail to Reach Agreement on Olympic Torch Route Archived from the original on November 9 2007 Olympic Flame begins relay in Greece Archived March 27 2008 at the Wayback Machine at the Official Website of the Torch Relay Robert Menard le grain de sable des JO Le Monde in French France April 8 2008 Olympic flame begins journey to China The Sydney Morning Herald March 24 2008 Archived from the original on March 27 2008 See also Anast Paul Spencer Richard March 25 2008 Demonstrators disrupt Olympic torch lighting The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on March 25 2008 Retrieved April 22 2010 and Protests disrupt Olympic torch ceremony CNN Archived from the original on March 28 2008 Torch protest disgraceful says China The Sydney Morning Herald March 25 2008 Archived from the original on April 10 2008 See also China raps Olympic torch protest BBC News March 25 2008 Retrieved January 1 2010 Carassava Anthee March 31 2008 Tibet Protesters Try to Disrupt Olympic Ceremony The New York Times Retrieved April 22 2010 Buncombe Andrew March 31 2008 Violence in Nepal as Tibetans protest Olympics The Independent London Archived from the original on May 1 2022 Retrieved April 22 2010 a b Chinese demand Carrefour boycott for Tibet support The Guardian London April 15 2008 Archived from the original on April 20 2008 Retrieved April 19 2008 a b Carrefour boycott drive widens ShanghaiDaily com April 15 2008 Archived from the original on April 20 2008 Retrieved April 19 2008 a b Chinese organize boycott of French goods Washington Times Chris O Brien April 15 2008 Retrieved April 19 2008 a b National flag of France with swastikas added by Chinese protesters in French Reuters April 19 2008 Archived from the original on May 25 2011 Retrieved April 19 2008 a b 昆明網友發起反抵制行動 家樂福前 國旗堵門水瓶砸人 in Chinese sina com April 17 2008 Archived from the original on May 17 2008 Retrieved April 18 2008 See also Un drapeau francais brule devant un magasin Carrefour en Chine in French Reuters April 19 2008 Archived from the original on April 22 2008 Retrieved April 19 2008 See also Angry Chinese burn French flag outside Carrefour Reuters April 18 2008 Retrieved April 19 2008 a b c Anti French rallies across China BBC April 19 2008 a b Protests continue restraint urged People s Daily April 21 2008 Olympic Torch Passes Through Kazakhstan Archived from the original on April 7 2008 Anti China protest targets Olympic torch ceremony Archived from the original on April 12 2008 Retrieved April 10 2008 Clashes along Olympic torch route BBC News April 6 2008 Retrieved January 1 2010 Home Office reports torch guards BBC News April 25 2008 Retrieved January 1 2010 Stratton Allegra April 22 2008 London torch security cost 750 000 The Guardian UK Retrieved April 22 2010 a b Redgrave receives pleas on Tibet BBC News April 3 2008 Archived from the original on April 6 2008 Retrieved April 6 2008 a b Horne Mark April 5 2008 Logan vows to run Olympic gauntlet The Scotsman Edinburgh Archived from the original on April 7 2008 Retrieved April 6 2008 Kelly Jon April 3 2008 Burning debate over relay boycott BBC News Archived from the original on April 6 2008 a b c d e f Clashes mar Olympic torch relay BBC News April 6 2008 Archived from the original on April 7 2008 Retrieved April 6 2008 See also Jowell defends torch parade role BBC News April 7 2008 Retrieved January 1 2010 Kelso Paul April 7 2008 Arrests fights jeering Olympic spirit flickers amid the chaos The Guardian Retrieved January 15 2023 Protests of China make Olympic torch relay an obstacle course in Chinese 特拉法加广场护圣火归来 See also in Chinese 伦敦迎奥运火炬照片 Handicapped Jin receives hero s welcome for protecting Olympic torch in Paris Xinhua News Agency April 10 2008 Archived from the original on April 14 2008 China condemns Olympic torch disruptions Archived April 12 2008 at the Wayback Machine France 24 April 8 2008 Paris protests cut short Olympic torch relay France 24 April 8 2008 Paris to greet Olympic flame with protest mayor Archived from the original on March 28 2014 Paris City Hall and athletes to highlight human rights during Olympic torch relay Angry protest as torch reaches London CNN Archived from the original on April 8 2008 in French Flamme olympique ce qui s est vraiment passe a Paris Archived April 12 2008 at the Wayback Machine L Express April 8 2008 China condemns Olympic torch disruptions Archived February 23 2012 at the Wayback Machine France 24 April 8 2008 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Reports of extinguished flame not true Archived April 8 2008 at the Wayback Machine April 8 2008 Video coverage by France 2 at 00 14 See also Video coverage by France 2 at 02 21 Olympic torch hit by protests during Paris leg CNN Archived from the original on April 10 2008 David Douillet interviewed by France 2 April 7 2008 China condemns Olympic torch disruptions Archived February 23 2012 at the Wayback Machine France 24 April 8 2008 See also in French La flamme de passage a Paris Archived June 9 2008 at the Wayback Machine official website of the mayor of Paris Paris torch relay canceled Sports Illustrated Associated Press April 7 2008 Archived from the original on April 11 2008 Retrieved April 7 2008 See also Flamme olympique fortement chahutee in French TF1 LCI April 7 2008 Archived from the original on April 8 2008 Retrieved April 7 2008 Reel Monte Fan Maureen April 12 2008 A Lighter Day for Torch in Argentina The Washington Post Retrieved April 22 2010 a b China rages over attack on disabled torch bearer The Guardian London February 10 2008 Archived from the original on April 15 2008 Retrieved April 22 2010 a b La flamme olympique chahutee a Paris in French April 7 2008 殘疾女孩用身體護 祥雲 完成傳遞 堅強感動全世界 2 in Chinese San Francisco torch carriers condemn disruptions of Olympic flame relay Commentary Paris slaps its own face Malgre un deploiement policier massif Reporters sans frontieres mobilise largement en faveur des droits de l homme en Chine lors du passage de la flamme a Paris in French Reporters Without Borders April 7 2008 Archived from the original on April 9 2008 See also in French A Paris la flamme olympique acheve son parcours a l abri des regards Le Monde April 7 2008 in French De la tour Eiffel a Charlety la flamme dans la tourmente a Paris Liberation April 7 2008 See also in French La deroute de la flamme olympique a Paris Le Figaro April 7 2008 See also in French Le chemin de croix de la flamme a Paris Archived April 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine Le Soir April 7 2008 in French La flamme deuxieme episode Archived April 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine Le Journal du dimanche April 7 2008 in French JO Pekin 2008 Manifestations pro Tibet au Trocadero Archived April 10 2008 at the Wayback Machine LCI April 7 2008 in French Des deputes crient Liberte pour le Tibet devant une flamme invisible Archived April 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine AFP 7 avril 2008 in French La police parisienne chasse le Tibetain pour Pekin Liberation April 8 2008 in French Selon MAM aucune instruction n a ete donnee pour confisquer les drapeaux tibetains Liberation April 8 2008 France 2 video coverage April 7 2008 Olympic torch relay concludes in San Francisco The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Torch Relay April 10 2008 Archived from the original on April 12 2008 Retrieved April 10 2008 a b c d e f g Gordon Rachel Schevitz Tanya Fagan Kevin Lagos Marisa April 9 2008 Torch leaves San Francisco after surprise route designed to thwart protesters San Francisco Chronicle Archived from the original on April 10 2008 Retrieved April 9 2008 See also NBC Torch Relay Bloggers Gets Close To The Action nbc Wyatt Buchanan April 18 2008 Olympic torch s visit cost S F 726 400 The San Francisco Chronicle SF To Greet Olympic Torch With Alarm And Protest See also Video SF To Greet Olympic Torch With Alarm Tutu Gere to protest San Francisco alters torch route Archived April 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine M amp C News April 8 2008 Bay City to protest Olympic torch Archived from the original on April 7 2008 China wants San Francisco Olympic torch s route shortened The Times of India March 27 2008 Archived from the original on October 21 2012 Torch protesters scale Golden Gate Bridge KGO TV April 7 2008 Archived from the original on May 21 2011 Retrieved April 7 2008 See also Curiel Jonathan Lagos Marisa April 7 2008 Pro Tibet protesters climb Golden Gate Bridge tower San Francisco Chronicle Archived from the original on April 8 2008 Retrieved April 7 2008 Olympic Torch Protesters Scale Golden Gate Bridge CBS5 April 7 2008 Archived from the original on April 8 2008 Retrieved April 7 2008 Climbers scale Golden Gate Bridge to protest Olympic torch run CBC Canada April 7 2008 Archived from the original on April 9 2008 Retrieved April 7 2008 San Francisco Olympic torch relay gets off to chaotic start MarketWatch April 9 2008 Protests and Cheers Along Torch Route The New York Times April 9 2008 Olympic Torch Departs SF After Wild Ride CBS Broadcasting Inc April 10 2008 Archived from the original on April 10 2008 Olympic flame relays have always been political San Jose Mercury News April 9 2008 Retrieved April 10 2008 San Francisco torch relay no joyous party but IOC relieved Canadian Broadcasting Corporation April 10 2008 Olympic torch relay concludes in Buenos Aires The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Torch Relay April 12 2008 Archived from the original on April 12 2008 Retrieved April 12 2008 La Antorcha Olimpica Recorrio Buenos Aires Clarin in Spanish April 11 2008 Retrieved April 11 2008 Argentine torch relay unhindered BBC World News April 11 2008 Retrieved April 11 2008 See also Protests Meet Olympic Torch in Argentina Associated Press April 11 2008 Archived from the original on April 15 2008 Retrieved April 11 2008 Peaceful Olympic torch run in Argentina CNN April 11 2008 Archived from the original on April 15 2008 Retrieved April 12 2008 Balch Oliver April 11 2008 Buenos Aires gears up for torch protests The Guardian London Retrieved April 22 2010 Juegos Planean protesta paso antorcha olimpica en Buenos Aires Reuters in Spanish April 8 2008 Archived from the original on April 16 2008 Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax page 4 list of directors See also Friends of Falun Gong Mitchell Jason Bone James April 11 2008 Diego Maradona refuses to carry Olympic torch The Times London Retrieved April 11 2008 Antorcha olimpica llega a la ciudad de Buenos Aires in Spanish Archived from the original on April 16 2008 Argentine torch relay unhindered BBC World News April 11 2008 Retrieved April 11 2008 Monson Jamie 2009 Africa s Freedom Railway How a Chinese Development Project Changed Lives and Livelihoods in Tanzania Indiana University Press p 154 ISBN 978 0253002815 Torch in peaceful Tanzania relay BBC April 13 2008 See also Olympic torch breezes untroubled through Africa Archived May 20 2011 at the Wayback Machine France 24 April 13 2008 Relaxed Omanis welcome Olympic torch Archived May 20 2011 at the Wayback Machine AFP April 14 2008 See also Olympic flame back to Asia in Muscat relay Archived April 24 2008 at the Wayback Machine official torch relay website April 14 2008 Samsung celebrates Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in Muscat ameinfo com April 2 2008 Archived from the original on November 5 2008 Retrieved January 18 2010 a b Torch s most sensitive leg of Olympic journey Herald Sun April 16 2008 Olympic torch relay in Pakistan BBC April 16 2008 Pakistan torch relay held behind closed doors New Delhi leg of Olympic torch relay concludes Archived April 20 2008 at the Wayback Machine official torch relay website April 17 2008 Buncombe Andrew April 18 2008 India pulls off a peaceful Olympic torch relay by banning the public The Independent London Retrieved April 22 2010 Delhi leg of Olympic torch relay today The Hindu Chennai India April 16 2008 Archived from the original on April 20 2008 a b India s soccer captain refuses to join in Beijing Olympic torch run in Indian capital Sandeep Nakai The China Post Taiwan April 1 2008 India s soccer captain refuses to join in Beijing Olympic torch run in Indian capital Aamir Khan s blog Olympic Torch Relay Archived from the original on April 5 2008 Wary of protests IOA shortens Olympic torch route The Times of India April 2 2008 Archived from the original on October 21 2012 India tells China Will not ban protests by Tibetans dead link India to Bar Tibet Protests During Olympic Torch Run Bloomberg April 3 2008 See also Chellaney Brahma April 4 2008 Leader Article Stop Being Bullied The Times of India India Archived from the original on October 21 2012 Retrieved July 1 2013 See also India cautious over China relations Unrest in Tibet puts New Delhi in bind regarding government in 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determination to defend relay sparks fury Archived April 27 2008 at the Wayback Machine Ben English Herald Sun April 24 2008 Chinese army will not be monitoring Aust Olympic torch leg officials ABC News March 26 2008 in Chinese 外交部发言人秦刚否认有关中方提出派军队赴澳大利亚保护奥运火炬传递的谣言 Archived March 30 2008 at the Wayback Machine PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs March 29 2008 Chinese rally in Australia to guard Olympic flame Archived April 20 2008 at the Wayback Machine Rob Taylor The Guardian April 16 2008 Olympic torch sizzles in Australia Sid Astbury The Independent South Africa April 17 2008 Chinese in Australia vow to defend Olympic torch from pro Tibet scum Nick Squires The Daily Telegraph April 16 2008 a b c China urging supporters to attend torch rally Australian FM Archived May 2 2008 at the Wayback Machine Madeleine Coorey AFP April 22 2008 Australian torch bearer pulls out of Olympic relay citing human rights concerns Archived October 6 2012 at the Wayback Machine The Star April 22 2008 See also 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on September 7 2008 Retrieved August 10 2008 Olympic flames reunite as Lhasa leg concludes Xinhua June 21 2008 Archived from the original on September 7 2008 Retrieved August 10 2008 Beijing Olympics 2008 Tibet policy angers IOC chiefs The Daily Telegraph June 25 2008 Olympic Torch lights up Great Wall Xinhua July 7 2008 Archived from the original on August 7 2008 Retrieved August 10 2008 Olympic torch brings inspiration hope to quake battered Sichuan Xinhua August 3 2008 Archived from the original on September 6 2008 Retrieved August 10 2008 Former gymnast Li Ning lights Olympic cauldron Xinhua August 8 2008 Archived from the original on August 9 2008 Retrieved August 10 2008 in French Sarkozy n exclut pas un boycott de la ceremonie des JO permanent dead link Europe 1 March 25 2008 See also in French Un allumage agite pour la flamme des JO permanent dead link Radio Suisse Romande March 25 2008 China online Tibet and torch reaction BBC April 17 2008 See also China s new chart topper Don t be too like CNN France 24 April 17 2008 See also CNN accused of bending the truth about Tibet France 24 April 17 2008 in French Donnons une claque cinglante a Liberation Archived May 4 2008 at the Wayback Machine Xinhua April 13 2008 Beijing Olympic official strongly condemns disruption of torch relay in Paris Xinhua April 8 2008 See also Tibetan separatists try to sabotage Olympic torch relay in U S Xinhua April 10 2008 Crowds gather to show support for Olympic torch relay Xinhua April 10 2008 French Olympic chief spectators condemn disruption of Olympic torch relay in Paris Xinhua April 8 2008 See also Netizens worldwide condemn violent protests at Olympic torch relay April 8 2008 See also Chinese Americans criticize torch relay disturbance CCTV April 10 2008 Ugandan track queen steps up training for Olympic torch relay Xinhua April 7 2008 Marie Jose Perec interviewed by France 24 April 7 2008 Ambassador Fu Olympic torch spreads message of peace to the world Archived April 8 2008 at the Wayback Machine official torch relay website April 7 2008 BOOC thanks overseas supporters for torch relay criticizes radical saboteurs Xinhua April 10 2008 Won t be caged so won t run with torch Kiran Bed The Times of India April 10 2008 Soha opts out of Olympic torch relay Archived November 3 2012 at the Wayback Machine The Hindu April 15 2008 Tendulkar bowed out from Olympic torch relay Newstrack India April 16 2008 Indian torchbearers vow to run for spirit of Olympics Archived May 6 2008 at the Wayback Machine official torch relay website April 16 2008 Handicapped Jin receives hero s welcome for protecting Olympic torch in Paris Xinhua April 10 2008 See also Touche Assailant meets match Lydia Chen Shanghai Daily April 9 2008 See also Handicapped girl wins respect for protecting sacred flame CCTV April 10 2008 Photos Heroic torchbearer Jin Jing back in Beijing Archived April 14 2008 at the Wayback Machine official torch relay website April 9 2008 Chinese angel comes home Archived April 14 2008 at the Wayback Machine official torch relay website April 10 2008 Jin Protecting the torch is my duty Archived April 14 2008 at the Wayback Machine official torch relay website April 10 2008 Chinese ambassador Fu Ying Western media has demonised China Fu Ying The Daily Telegraph April 13 2008 Is the West demonising China The Daily Telegraph April 13 2008 Pro China rally in Australia BBC April 14 2008 in French Libe epingle en Chine Pascale Nivelle Liberation April 12 2008 CNN biased coverage comes under fire Xinhua April 17 2008 China urges again that CNN sincerely apologizes over insulting words Xinhua April 17 2008 CNN apologises to China over thugs and goons comment by Jack Cafferty Alexi Mostrous Times April 16 2008 The challenges of reporting in China BBC April 3 2008 China online Tibet and torch reaction BBC April 17 2008 See also Carrefour faces China boycott bid BBC April 15 2008 Overseas Chinese rally against biased media coverage for Olympics People s Daily April 20 2008 Overseas Chinese in Britain rally in protest against Western media distortion People s Daily April 20 2008 Report China seen sponsoring anti CNN website Archived May 8 2008 at the Wayback Machine World Tribune April 4 2008 Turned off by torch guards NBC News November 4 2008 Retrieved April 11 2008 Torch song trilogy The Economist October 4 2008 Archived from the original on May 1 2008 Retrieved April 14 2008 a b c 千中選一 中國聖火護衛隊 惹關注 in Chinese Archived from the original on April 16 2008 Kelso Paul April 7 2008 China s flame attendants and world s most guarded relay The Guardian London Archived from the original on April 11 2008 Retrieved April 8 2008 Hutcheon Stephen May 7 2008 They re hot to trot for the keeper of the flame web Technology The Age Melbourne Australia Retrieved May 9 2008 a b c Tracksuited guardians of the flame BBC April 9 2008 Questions raised over mysterious men in blue Jerome Taylor and Clifford Coonan The Independent April 8 2008 Unmasked Chinese guardians of Olympic torch The Times April 9 2008 Sinister Keepers of the Flame Controversy over Thuggish Chinese Olympic Torch Guards Alexander Schwabe Der Spiegel April 9 2008 Mayor admits olympic torch error BBC news website April 15 2008 Torch guards complaints reported BBC April 25 2008 Retrieved September 20 2008 Controversy over Thuggish Chinese Olympic Torch Guards Alexander Schwabe Der Spiegel April 9 2008 Delanoe le passage de la flamme a Paris mouvement fort en faveur du Tibet Archived April 12 2008 at the Wayback Machine AFP April 8 2008 See also Video coverage by France 2 April 7 2008 a b Japan won t welcome Chinese Olympic torch guards gov t official indicates Mainichi Daily News April 11 2008 Archived from the original on April 12 2008 Retrieved April 11 2008 Kubota Yoko April 11 2008 Japan says no to Chinese torch guards reports Reuters Archived from the original on April 15 2008 Retrieved April 11 2008 Japan won t let Chinese security guards accompany Olympic torch relay in Nagano Japan Today April 11 2008 Retrieved April 11 2008 Drape Julian April 8 2008 Torch to be guarded by Australians only Melbourne news theage com au Archived from the original on April 12 2008 Retrieved April 8 2008 Australia warns Olympic torch guards over tough tactics Haroon Siddique The Guardian April 16 2008 See also New police powers to stop torch violence The Sydney Morning Herald April 16 2008 Olympic torch lands in Australia The Age April 23 2008 Olympic flame in Canberra for relay Sydney Morning Herald April 23 2008 China s determination to defend relay sparks fury Archived April 27 2008 at the Wayback Machine Ben English Herald Sun April 24 2008 See also Australia China disagree on torch security ABC Radio Australia April 23 2008 Rogge backs Rudd on torch security permanent dead link The Australian April 24 2008 Smooth run for Australia s relay BBC April 24 2008 Heavy security for torch in Delhi BBC April 17 2008 The invasion of the robotic thugs spiked online com Chinese cities hit by fresh anti Western protests ChannelNewsAsia Ransom Ian April 29 2008 Beijing strips Carrefour workers of goodwill hats Reuters Saiget Robert J April 21 2008 Fresh anti Western protests rock China Agence France Presse Retrieved January 6 2010 Fresh protests staged at Carrefour stores in China ChannelNewsAsia Chinese holding rallies to back Beijing Games China Daily Temple pulls out of torch relay Asahi Shimbun Japan April 19 2008 Retrieved April 19 2008 dead link 市職員の不適切発言について おわび in Japanese Nagano City Office April 2008 Archived from the original on July 22 2012 Retrieved April 18 2008 Japan temple rejects torch relay BBC April 18 2008 Retrieved January 1 2010 Temple defaced after torch refusal The Japan Times April 21 2008 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2008 Summer Olympics torches and torch relay Official sites Edit Official site of the Beijing 2008 Torch relay Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in London Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in Hong KongOfficial videos Edit Sacred flame blazes way through the city of apples Almaty Torch relay extends Saint Petersburg s blessings for Beijing Olympics Saint 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 Francisco 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 Pakistan torch relay a fiery success Islamabad Olympic torch relay in New Delhi a success New Delhi Olympic flame sheds glee in City of Smile Bangkok Torch relay concludes successfully through downpour Kuala Lumpur Sacred flame finishes tour of Southeast Asia Jakarta Torch relay concludes in Canberra peacefully Canberra Olympic Torch Relay in Nagano concludes Nagano Olympic torch relay in Seoul concludes Seoul Well organized torch relay completes in Pyongyang PyongyangOther sites Edit Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Torch Relay coverage by Community online com Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay Google Map The torch s route around the world a step by step overview by the BBC BBC video of the torch relay in Bangkok showing supporters with Chinese flags and pro Tibet protesters Video on YouTube Olympic Torch Relay in London Video on YouTube Olympic Torch Relay in Paris Pictures from Olympic Torch Relay and protests in San Francisco Part 2 Part 3 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay amp oldid 1139522292, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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