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| Olympic Torch Relay, Stoke Mandeville |
Today the Olympic Torch and flame came through my village of Stoke Mandeville this morning on its long journey of 70 days from the Temple of Hera on the slopes of Mount Olympus to the opening ceremony of the London Olympics 2012 on the 27th July. For many in the village the flame was not passing through but was actually coming home for we are the only village in England which actually has an Olympic Flame. The Paralympics are a particular source of pride here for it is the local Stoke Mandeville Hospital and a remarkable surgeon Ludwig Guttmann who gave birth to the remarkable phenomenon of the Paralympics. And as the first organised “Stoke Mandeville Games” took place in conjunction with the 1948 Olympic Games hosted in a war shattered London then for the 2012 games in London the Paralympics will truly be coming home!
The ancient Greeks believed that fire was given to humankind by Prometheus, and considered fire to have sacred qualities. Mirrors were used to focus the sun's rays to ignite flames that would burn perpetually in front of Greek temples. Greek rituals also included torch relays, although this was not actually part of the Olympic Games. The modern use of the Olympic Flame began in 1936. It coincided with the advent of a long relay of runners carrying torches to bring the flame from Olympia to the site of the games. Once there, the torch is used to light a cauldron that remains lit until it is extinguished in the Closing Ceremony. Whilst some have mischievously attributed the idea of a torch relay to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Gobbels it was actually the idea of Carl Diem, the secretary general of the Organising Committee of the Games of the XI Olympiad in Berlin.
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| The Olympic flame being lit by the sun's rays at The Temple of Hera, Olympia |
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| Sir Ludwig Guttmann |
However there is a genuine connection to the Nazis and World War II in the birth of the Paralympic Games. For war has everything to do with the foundation of the Paralympics and with the remarkable Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, Ludwig Guttmann. Sir Ludwig "Poppa" Guttmann (July 3, 1899 in Toszek (Poland) - March 18, 1980) was a German-born neurologist who founded the Paralympics and is considered one of the founding fathers of organized physical activities for the disabled. One of the leading pre-World War II neurologists in Germany, Guttmann worked at the Jewish Hospital in Breslau until 1939, when he was forced to flee to England. At Stoke Mandeville Guttmann treated disabled patients particularly RAF Aircrew who had severe spinal injuries and other disabilities. As director, he believed sport was a method of therapy, using it to help build physical strength and self-respect.
This was Day 52 of the Torch Relay with the Olympic Flame visiting Bletchley Park and Blenheim Palace as well as Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville during its journey from Luton to Oxford. Prime Minister David Cameron met the flame in Woodstock and the day culminated with a concert for 20,000 in South Park, Oxford. Today the Relay travelled 112.32 miles with the flame carried by 133 Torchbearers. Today’s relay kicked off in St. George’s Square Luton with F1 driver Lewis Hamilton.
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| Racing Driver Lewis Hamilton beginning the day's relay in Luton |
So there was understandable excitement in the village at the Olympic Flame cavalcade passing through with extensive detail in a leaflet about road closures, cars not being parked on the route and anti-Olympic behaviour. For those not familiar with this concept it can include displaying logos of non-Olympic Sponsors on the route and under legislation in the enabling act if I displayed an anti-Olympics poster in a window the police are entitled to enter my house without a warrant and remove it. Still the streets were lined and the choreography of the event is worthy of Gobbels. The vehicles escorting the flame are all in the “sunshine” colours and carry the slogan “moment to shine.” As parts of the choreography 8,000 people have been nominated as worthy to carry the Olympic torch (In Dublin this included Jedward) and they are outfitted in white. The security team are Metropolitan Police Officers and they are outfitted in grey. Then there are the support staff who wear the Olympic logo outfits.
The first part of the cavalcade consists of the vehicles of the “three presenting partners” Samsung, Coca-Cola and Lloyds TSB Bank in that exact order. All three of them have cheerleader types on board who keep up a smiley, jokey, jumpy, love the world presence. Imagine the job interview for these roles “Want to be part of an amazing historic event? Gone to Drama College? get this on your CV?” The strain of exuding such artificial happiness and interest would drive most of us insane after 10 days, let alone after 70 days of making history (sic).
Samsung have a smart bus with cheerleaders on top and a huge screen on the side and give out freebies. Coca-Cola, the sugared water company, has a red and white bus with fewer cheer leaders and gives out nothing. Lloyds TSB, the failed banking group which exists by the grace and favour of UK Taxpayers, have a vintage bus (presumably to remind us of their IT systems) with glum looking staff who, in an exception to the artificial happiness rule, look like they don’t know why they are there. Indeed, I don’t know why a failed taxpayer supported bank is an Olympic Sponsor? Indeed the Disneyfication of the event with free issues of happy pills to participants is fairly evident with everybody trained to constantly smile and wave as they exude positivity as they pass by. Most surreal of all were the motorcycle cops who were high fiving the kids as they went past, as motorcycle cops do?
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| Olympic Flame - Stoke Mandeville Stadium |
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| The torch relay at Stoke Mandeville Stadium |
In a way the Torch Relay was a metaphor for the London Olympics. A strange mixture of idealism, genuine enthusiasm, control and crass commercialism. In Stoke Mandeville, we’ll see it all come and go content that the spirit of the Paralympics is closer to the Olympic ideals and proud of the special and life enhancing efforts of those brave people inspired by the Stoke Mandeville Special Games, the Paralympians.
For the live video feed on the torch relay see;
For the background to the London 2012 Mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville see;
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| 2012 Olympic Mascots - Mandeville and Wenlock |
The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place on 27 July 2012 and the Closing Ceremony on the 12 Aug 2012. 18 days later, the Paralympic Games (the second largest event of its kind in the world) will stage its Opening Ceremony.
For a guide to the Olympic Park in East London see;
