London 2012: Olympic Flame Extinguished When Carried on a Rafting Boat (pictures, video) tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

London 2012: Olympic Flame Extinguished When Carried on a Rafting Boat (pictures, video)

Posted by in Sports

Oops! I think, somebody did not know that water wins over fire! A natural phenomenon and predictable phenomenon that even a two-year-old knows about. Shorty before the start of the Olympic Games in London, the Olympic flame was briefly extinguished when it was carried on a white water raft at the Lee Valley Games Venue at Waltham Cross on Saturday.

Take two: The Olympic flame stayed alight on its second attempt down the river

Before

The genius Brits who organized the event had the Olympic torch splashed through the canoe slalom venue on board a raft as part of its journey around the country.
As the raft crashes through the rapids, the torch - held aloft by British junior team canoeist Zachary Franklin - can barely be seen through the spray
During
 
The expected -but obviously for some unexpected – effect was that the spraying water splashed out the … Eternal Flame causing to shortly breath out its eternity.
Wet: The flame appeared to go briefly while it was being transported on the raft at the Lee Valley White Water Centre
After
 
The flame was relit with the aid of … not a lighter but of a lantern carrying the original flame.
 
Video: Splashing the Eternal Fame

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British Daily Mail rpeorts of several natural incidents (wind blowing, rain fall) and traffic accidents that happened on Saturday extinguishing the Olympic Flame here and there or causing delays in the torch touring ceremony. 
 
According to Foxnews, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games has been embarrassed after the Olympic flame was extinguished for the second time during it’s tour of the UK.

During the first incident,  the torch burned out while attached to para-badminton star David Follett’s wheelchair after a heavy wind blow.

Corcerning the incident with the rafting, the officials attempted to play down the setback.

“It is not uncommon for a flame to go out and this can happen for a number of reasons,” a LOCOG spokesman said.

“In this instance it was due to water being splashed into the boat from the slalom course. [HA!]

In 2008, the torch relay leg of Olympic judo medallist David Douillet ended in chaos, as his flame was extinguished by Chinese organisers before passing it to Teddy Riner, the French judo champion. Then both athletes were abandoned on the podium.
 
During the torch tour in France the Chinese had extinguished the Olympic Flame four times during mass protests on Chinese occupation of Tibet.
 
Video: Chinese organiser extinguishes the Olympic Flame
  
The Olympic Flame, the symbol of the modern Olympic Games, is traditionally lit in Ancient Olympia in Greece. The Olympic torch carried by athletes or non-athletes travels several routes and transport the flame from Greece to the various designated sites of the Games.

The flame commemorates the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics.