From Olympia to London, People Love the Burning Flame

Olympic gold medal sailor Ben Ainslie is the first London 2012 torchbearer. He sets off from the famous Land's End sign post. (Matt Cardy/Stringer/Getty Images Sport)

Objectors were highlighting the hypocrisy of a government in apparent economic ascendancy over the rest of the world hosting the games while continuing to commit shocking human rights atrocities. This shamed the Chinese regime, who were seen by many to be contradicting the ethos of good-natured competition and humanistic fair play.

This general identification with idealism is further illustrated by people universally frowning upon the practice of using performance enhancing drugs that cheat others who have worked so hard to reach their physical peak naturally and according to agreed rules.

Peace and Fair-play

The modern public engagement in the Olympics and the fascination for the associated rituals can be traced back to the original games, which began to be held in ancient Greece in 776 BC and took place four-yearly for a thousand years. Warring cities in the region during those times stopped fighting just so that people could travel safely to the games, which celebrated beliefs in gods and acknowledged their fundamental connection to mankind.

These beliefs were not ideas but facts to people and so important that citizens obeyed the declaration of a temporary peace. While the games took place they observed a cessation of hostilities no matter what their earthly conflicts. In this there was recognition of a non-partisan and spiritual allegiance with connectedness to each other on a higher-than-worldly plane.

These ancient roots are echoed in the widespread concurrence of modern people with the ideas of tolerance and fair play that are the ethos of the modern Olympics.

The flame, lit by intensifying the rays of the sun focused onto a parabolic mirror at an ancient altar in Greece earlier this month reflects an enduring and elemental desire in people to cut out the hair splitting to-ings and fro-ings of modern politics and factional religions.

Fire, for the Greeks, epitomised the dawn of earthly civilisation. As the London Olympic flame travels Britain from the offshore islands of northern Scotland and down through the heart of the English countryside, our citizens will be reminded of the endless possibilities of human achievement to be nobly demonstrated through sport at the forthcoming Olympiad.

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