Olympic Torch Relay Kick Off with Zombies

Title:
Olympic Torch Relay Kick Off with Zombies
Author:
OlympicNewsJunkie
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— 106 Days of Torch Relaying starts in earnest in Victoria.

The Torch Relay kicked off in Victoria and some famous Olympians were first to put their hands on the torches.  They are helping start what is proving to be a rather mental distance to cover.  The basic facts of the relay are: 
  • 106 days
  • 45,000 km total
  • 1037 communities and places of interest
  • 119 Aboriginal communities
  • 14 Canadian Forces Bases and Canadian Forces Stations
  • 12,000 torchbearers
  • 18,000 km by air
  • 1,000 km by water
  • 22,000 km by land
Gold medallists Catriona Le May Doan (2002 Salt Lake City) and Simon Whitfield (2000 Sydney) started at the BC provincial legislature.  They passed the flame to diver Alexandre Despatie and rower Silken Laumann.

Protesters disrupted the relay, forcing changes to the route and disappointing a few torch bearers as well as a number of spectators.  Being so close to Halloween, the protests included a zombie themed random march which did more to annoy commuters than effect change in government policy.  Not that I'm saying there shouldn't be a change.  Anyone living in Vancouver knows that there's been zero visible effect on homelessness and with cuts to services as a result of the recession, which has hit education and health care, one wonders if there's a better way to make sure that for every dollar put into something like the Olympics, you could make sure an equivalent dollar went into key social issues.

Ah to dream.



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