Foreign Affairs
Related: About this forumOlympic flame extinguished by Rio protesters
Source: The Guardian
Teachers forced temporary halt and runner bussed away
Stretch of torch relay route in Rio was missed out
Jonathan Watts in Rio de Janeiro
Thursday 28 July 2016 19.25 BST
The Olympic torch relay was disrupted by striking teachers after it entered Rio de Janeiro. Video footage of the demonstration suggests the flame was extinguished while the runner carrying the torch had to be bussed to safety.
The incident forced a temporary halt and prompted some runners to quit the relay. Protesters stoned cars and police responded with tear gas and pepper spray. To avoid further problems, a stretch of the relay was missed out.
A Rio 2016 spokesman, Philip Wilkinson, explained there is a back-up of eight lanterns. The torch often goes out and is relit. The flame is never extinguished.
The demonstration was staged by striking teachers, who are angry at not being paid for two months as a result of the near bankruptcy of the Rio state government.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/28/olympic-flame-extinguished-rio-de-janeiro-protesters
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)...with the curiosity that makes one watch a car wreck.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)Last edited Sat Aug 6, 2016, 12:51 PM - Edit history (2)
move to a previous venue. Wouldn't take too long to bring up to snuff, would it? I probably am wrong, but this place sounds too dangerous. And how many in those huge slums around Rio have been displaced or killed to keep up the image of fun and spectacle for the arriving spectators? I am sure the back story(s) of "protestors" is a tragic one, who are probably especially riled with all the money they see being spent and wasted on the venue for this sporting event. The world is being ruled by money, greed and those corruptors who strive for such. It is a disaster waiting to happen. But what do I know.
vinny9698
(1,016 posts)Then charge each nation a fee to participate to pay for the cost of running them.
Each city who has hosted them has made a loss and built stadiums that are never used after the Olympics.
Atlanta had the horse event stadium and was paying $100,000 each year to maintain the place and there was no use for it. They finally just let it go.
https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrBT7_aZ5tXjooAGuhXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=Atlantic+City+Olympics+Abandoned&fr=yfp-t-s