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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;
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