Olympic Flame Handed to 2014 Winter Games Organizers

All is set for the coming 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia with the handing of the Olympic flame to its organizers led by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak in a ceremony held in Athens, Greece. The symbol of global peace and international friendship was afterward flown to Moscow for a cauldron-lighting ceremony where President Vlamidir Putin received the lantern. The upcoming Olympics has incidentally been through some controversies over Putin’s apparent restriction toward dissenting groups.

Flame run

Following its relay for a period of seven days in Greece, the Olympic torch will start covering the 40,000 miles distance from Moscow to Sochi starting Monday to culminate on February 7, 2014 when the Winter Games officially starts at the newly built Fisht Olympic Stadium. Despite a short delay that took place at the Kremlin Gate in Red Square when the flame went out briefly on one torchbearer, the relay continued to travel the distance. An official lit the torch again with his cigarette lighter and the torchbearer took off one more time. During the entire time, the cauldron stayed aflame at the square.

Not a jinx

The small incident that took place when the torchlight went out was dismissed as an insignificant delay, not a jinx or premonition that might affect the Games. The Organizers of the Sochi Winter Olympics said it was just a minor glitch that could happen in any occasion. The people were then advised not to mind the trivial episode since the Sochi Games will pursue as scheduled.

Space walk

Plans are underway for the participation of Russian space station as a special Soyuz taskforce will fly the torch to outer space in November. Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryanzansky will do an honorary walk on space bearing the Olympic flame while on the ground the cauldron flame will remain lit all the time. As precautionary measure, the torch will not be lit aboard the Soyuz for it will be dangerous. This unique space walk feature of the Winter Olympics is Russia’s way of showcasing its space program which the country particularly takes pride on. The torch will also be brought to the North Pole on an icebreaker run by nuclear power, to be carried later to the deepest part of Lake Baikal, a freshwater body of water, and travel up to Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe.

Protests and diplomacy

President Putin diplomatically convinced the International Olympic Committee to bring the Winter Games in Sochi. The place is a summer resort area featuring Russia’s palm tree lined beaches. The Russian government has appropriated $50 billion for the creation of projects that will transform Sochi into a modern tourism center after the Games are over. These proposed undertakings were initially met by environmental advocates who claimed that the enormous projects would impair the ecosystem. Protests also surfaced on the low salaries for migrant workers toiling on the construction. Topping all the objections were criticisms from human rights advocates who expressed apprehension over the growing risk of decreased freedom under Putin’s administration.