Olympic torch news stories on Newser

Olympic Flame Lit in Greece

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:35:18 CDT

The Olympic flame has been lit and is on its 1,800-mile journey around Greece before it makes its way to London next week. A “high priestess” (read: actress) ignited the flame by catching the sun’s rays in a mirror at a ceremony in Olympia’s Temple of Hera ruins. It...

Olympic Cops Need Therapy After Games End

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 11:07:10 CDT

As an officer for the Scotland Yard, this assignment sounds like a dream come true: Forget your regular duties for 70 days and travel throughout Britain with the Olympic torch in the run-up to the 2012 London Games. But the officers hand-picked for the once-in-a-lifetime assignment will receive psychological counseling...

Identity of Torch Bearer Remains a Mystery

Nick McMaster — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:05:00 CST

Speculation is running wild in Canada about who will light the Olympic cauldron at tonight's opening ceremony. Wayne Gretzky is a popular, if obvious, guess, but many hope the honor will fall to Betty Fox. Fox is the mother of Terry Fox, the late marathon runner who ran across Canada...

2010 Olympic Torch Looks Familiar ... to Potheads

M. Morris — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:22:01 CDT

The 2010 Olympic torch gets attention wherever it goes, much of it from people who look at the sleek metal shape and see a joint, the Toronto Star reports. The resemblance is probably unintentional——the design is supposed to look like the tracks skis and skates leave on snow and...

Why the Chinese Need Olympic Glory

Harry Kimball — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:30:01 CDT

Those shocked by China’s bristly response to Olympic protests and criticisms would do well to remember some history, Orville Schell writes for the New York Review of Books . After what the Chinese call a "century of humiliation" at the hands of the West and Japan, the nation has developed an...

China Reopens Tibetan Tourism

Nick McMaster — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:13:04 CDT

China is allowing foreign tourists to enter Tibet for the first time since March protests, sources tell the BBC. The Olympic torch’s smooth reception in Lhasa over the weekend means "Tibet is safe,” a Tibetan tourism director tells state media. "We welcome the domestic and foreign tourists." Tibet remains essentially...

Olympic Torch Arrives in Tibet

Matt Cantor — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:17:06 CDT

Under tight security, the Olympic torch made its way through Tibet’s capital in the most controversial leg of its worldwide journey—a jaunt that ended with Chinese criticism of the Dalai Lama, Reuters reports. “We will be able to totally smash the splittist schemes of the Dalai Lama clique,” said...

China Orders Muslims to Stay Home for Torch Relay

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:06:33 CDT

Chinese officials have told China's Muslim Uighur to stay in their homes and watch the Olympic torch on TV when it winds its way through the troubled western region of Xinjiang, Reuters reports. Beijing blames the Uighur for a series of attacks that are part of a push for an...

China Orders 3 Days of Mourning, Will Halt Torch

Katherine Thompson — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:02:06 CDT

As the death toll in Monday's 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit 32,500, China declared 3 days of national mourning beginning tomorrow, reports Reuters. The Olympic torch relay will pause for the duration. Rescue efforts are still under way in devastated Sichuan province, but hopes are waning of recovering any...