Torch relay's Nazi origins aren't widely known

[rug]

Nazi soldiers line up during the Opening Ceremonies in Berlin on Aug. 1, 1936 (AP)

Wed, Jul 25, 2012 8:22 PM EDT
Martin Rogers

LONDON – When the most famous flame in sports winds its way through the streets of London before entering the Olympic Stadium and providing the 2012 Games with one of its most iconic images, it will be seen as a touching gesture of symbolism, grace and a nod to the ancient world.

Yet while the torch relay began once again at the historic site of Olympia on May 10 and is an integral part of any Games, its modern incarnation comes laced with sinister undertones that can be traced back to Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party and the controversial 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

Many of those witnessing the final journey of the flame July 27 will have little idea that its origins do not lie in ancient Greece, and was instead formulated as a major part of the Nazis' plot to shift international opinion in their favor.

"There had been no such torch relays in the ancient Games or, for that matter, in any of the 10 modern Summer Olympics preceding the Berlin Games," wrote renowned author David Clay Large in his outstanding book, "Nazi Games: The Olympics of 1936," which was published in 2007. "The torch relay was one of but many ways in which the Nazi Games helped define the modern Olympic experience as we know it today."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--torch-relay-nazi-adolf-hitler-london-berlin-ancient-greece-flame-.html

[freshwest]

1. No wonder they put missiles on the rooftops of London! The Nazis are coming!

Romney was just the front line of the attack.

Just sayin'

[Honeycombe8]

2. I did not know that. Interesting. But I looked it up and saw that torch relays were a Greek ritual.

Even t hough the relays weren't part of the olympics, they still were a Greek ritual.

Despite its roots in Nazi Germany, it still is a wonderful part of the Olympics and its start in 1936 is no reason not to continue to embrace it. It has been turned into a good thing, from a start by an evil person.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

3. Harry Shearer did a fake report on this last weekend on his Le Show

He played a reporter covering the relay as a man dressed in an SS uniform was running to commemorate the nazi tradition. The torch bearer was beaten by the crowd.

[Swede]

4. Uhm.........

The Olympic Flame, Torch and Relay draw on a history going back to the ancient Olympic Games in Greece.
The Torch and Relay were important elements of the cultural festivals surrounding the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece.
During the Games, a sacred flame burned continually on the altar of the goddess, Hera. In addition, heralds were summoned to travel throughout Greece to announce the Games, declaring a sacred truce for the duration.


http://www.infoplease.com/sports/olympics/history-olympic-torch.html

[Swede]

5. People should do a google search before writing this nonsense.

nt

[Go Vols]

6. from your link

History: Flame and torch

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.

1936 Berlin Games

The first such relay took place for the 1936 Berlin Games. Some 3,330 runners brought the flame through Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Germany. Similar relays have taken place for every Summer Game since.

[Odin2005]

8. Margret Sanger was a Eugenicist, so Planned Parenthood is Eugenicist!

Same nonsense reasoning.