Olympic Hide and Seek

In an event that has been called "weird" and "bizarre," the San Francisco leg of the Olympic Torch run is over. Tens of thousands of spectators waited along the bank of the Bay Area - but a last minute series of baits and switches ensured that they never were able to support or protest the flame.

Citing safety concerns and an "disproportional amount of people near the start of the relay," the Olympic organizers, along with the San Francisco city government, moved the event to the other side of town - effectively running away from the protesters. This is despite the Chinese government shipping thousands of their exchange students in from nearby colleges to counter-protest.

The San Francisco Gate told the story best: it was less a relay and more like keep away.

Personally, I want to point out a couple highlights: The organizers lit the torch then hid in a warehouse before driving two miles away to an isolated area, then concluded the event shortly after on a stretch of empty highway. Also, apparently carrying the Tibetan flag is now a crime - anyone who attempted to bear the flag was arrested, which includes torchbearer Majora Carter who hid a flag under her sleeve and was stripped of the torch and pushed into the crowd when she pulled it out.

If the torch relay is indicative of how the Beijing Games will treat the public, then I have no interest in watching it, nor in the United States attending the games. If China cannot tolerate free speech about a sporting event, then they have a lot further to go than I thought they did.

In the end though, my thoughts turn to the Olympic Trials coming here to Eugene in just over two months - no amount of blue-jumpsuited Chinese paramilitaries will be able to play keep away with all of Hayward Field.

Heat Protests Indeed

I've been trying to come up with a good way of mentioning the recent protests along the Olympic torch route, but I haven't been able to come up with more than some YouTube videos. That is, until I saw the headline for the Washington Post's latest take on the story: Olympic Torch Attracts Heated Protests.

Someone is a clever bastard.

Apparently this story hasn't got enough play in the US media markets, because many of the people I've spoken with have had little knowledge of what is going on.

Thousands are practicing civil disobedience in an effort to damper the spirits of the Chinese government organizing this year's summer Olympic games. While the torch has only been lit for a few days, it has already been doused several times, and dozens have been arrested in connection with the contentious runs through London and Paris. San Francisco is next, and clearly will be the site of the biggest showdown between the heavily guarded torchbearers and the citizens who are irate over the issue of Tibet.

Either the tens of thousands of Californian hippies and peaceniks will overwhelm the security and stop the procession in its tracks, or they will be cowed by what promises to be a massive police presence (and not those French police on Rollerblades either).

It will be the only stop in the United States before the torch begins its epic journey through every nook and cranny of China, so Wednesday will doubtlessly be a big day in the news.