The flame’s higher purpose

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/01/2010 (5987 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The goal of the Olympic Torch Relay is to foster national pride and generate excitement for the 2010 Winter Games that begin in Vancouver on Feb. 12. There is little doubt that it has already achieved those goals.

Since it started its journey in Victoria on Oct. 30, 2009, the flame has travelled from sea to sea to sea. In addition to the big cities, it has been carried aloft to thousands of small and remote communities, including the military base at Alert on Ellesmere Island, the world’s most northern permanently inhabited place, about 800 kilometres from the North Pole. Canadians following the 45,000-kilometre trek have been exposed to a comprehensive lesson in Canadian geography. The route was designed to be both inclusive and accessible — some 90 per cent of Canadians live within a one-hour drive of witnessing the historic march.

By the time the relay is over, more than 12,000 people will have had the honour of serving as official torchbearers. The 1.6-kilogram torch was designed to resemble “the fluid lines left in the snow and ice from winter sports,” according to Bombardier Inc., which crafted the 95-centimetre-long torch in co-operation with the Vancouver Olympic Committee.

The Olympic Torch is scheduled to depart Manitoba Saturday morning, but it has already made a huge impact in the province. An estimated 20,000 people cheered as the flame moved through the downtown and into The Forks Tuesday. It takes a special event to get that many people out on a cold night in the middle of the week in Winnipeg.

The relay, like the Games themselves, is not without its challenges and challengers. The torchbearers were greeted on Trans-Canada Highway east of Winnipeg by aboriginal protesters, and by more protests later on Broadway, where the procession was momentarily delayed.

There have been other demonstrations along the route and more of the same to come. Important events and protests seem to go hand in hand, and, for the most part, they are harmless expressions of free speech.

Some British Columbia aboriginals are threatening to use the Games to embarrass the government into providing more funds for economic development. They are free to tell their story, but they will only undermine their cause if they cross the line from peaceful protest to criminal harassment.

There are many disagreements and grievances in Canada today, but the Olympics is not the stage to resolve those squabbles. The flame is summoning all of us to a higher purpose.