Olympic Torch Goes Out During Relay — and Check Out the Scramble to Relight It
- Posted on May 21, 2012 at 9:59am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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LONDON (AP) — Organizers say the Olympic torch was briefly snuffed out during the relay leading up to the London 2012 Games.
The torch was attached Monday morning to the side of Para-badminton player David Follett’s wheelchair in the western England town of Great Torrington when the flame went out.
The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games said the flame went out due to a malfunctioning burner.
Such occurrences are fairly common and organizers keep a “mother flame” in a protective lantern just in case.
Follet, who uses a wheelchair after being injured in a car accident at 19, was given a replacement torch and the relay continued.
It is traveling 8,000 miles (12,875 kilometers) around the U.K., with a stopover in Ireland.
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Comments (40)
chingachgook
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 10:53pmwow much to do about nothing. Light the thing and move on.
Report Post »9111315
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 9:37pmWho is the idiot who tried to relight it with a bic?
Report Post »Gumbercules
Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:52pmIdiot?! pretty smart. Who would know the difference? Bic = American made = never burn out!
Report Post »go2gym
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 8:24pmSee, everyone needs it. http://www.stoveinacan.com/
Report Post »Soul Leister
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 8:03pmif it went out… then it can’t be relit bu chuckleheads in the crowd… the flame is supposed to be from greece (passed from torch to torch)… if you can get it anywhere then the whole torch thing is not important after all… more like religious dogma… all smoke and mirrors, zero substance.
Report Post »cranberry
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 6:52pmAh well, can’t predict stuff like this – can you? I like to use a piece of uncooked spaghetti to light hard to reach areas… just a tip for you Olympic folks….
Report Post »FromSeaToSea
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 6:47pmMore scientific proof of global warming.
Report Post »righthanddrive
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 5:14pmRe-lit? How can it now be considered the Olympic flame? Should not the ‘torch’ be sent back to Greece to be re-lit? What a farce…..
Report Post »AngeryChiro
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 4:34pmwhy is there more then one torch that kinda seems odd. and yes back to Greece for relight for the mother flame
Report Post »jimgag
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 3:56pmThings don’t always go smoothly.
Report Post »since1629
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 3:34pmAnd THAT is why you have Dale Gribble (or any other chain-smoking friend) lean in and bum a light for his cig AS SOON as your leg of the relay begins!!
Report Post »Skee
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 3:05pmThe EU was late sending in their gas bill to Russia.
Report Post »TheSitRep
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 2:41pmfail
Report Post »Rick Steele
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 2:30pmIf the flame goes out, shouldn’t they go back to Greece and start over? Just to be fair?
Report Post »gretsch62
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 1:30pmMust be Obama’s fault! He has failed at everything else!
Report Post »pavepaws
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 2:26pmWithout the “mother flame”, don’t they have to start over?
Report Post »jackact
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 1:16pmThe relevance of the Olympics shrinks more each year.
Report Post »Just like the Nobel Peace award.
Americans have more important ways to organize their patronage than
acknowledging these politically correct entities
Thomas Paine
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 1:04pmHow many liberals does it take to light a torch? Five.
Report Post »1 to hold the torch,
1 to hold the match,
& 3 to form a committee to discuss the politically correct way to light the torch without offending any minority’s.
jhaydeng
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 2:11pmNice!
Report Post »Soul Leister
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 8:04pmYou forgot, that a majority of the liberals involved are minorities (oxymoronic but true)… now you know why it went out in the first place.
Report Post »raoul del norte
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 11:34amIt would be so much easier and more educational to read this and all other stories on The Blaze if pop-ups didn‘t constantly break one’s focus and concentration. I wish others who abhor these irritating pop-ups would contact Erica at The Blaze and protest with me. She appears not to have much power to do anything about it, but perhaps many readers protesting pop-ups would kick the attention up a notch.
Report Post »forthepeople
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 11:07amIts a sign , besides that must have a union government employees in charge , there particular good at dropping the ball ( letting the flame go out ) . What’s that saying about a one horse parade ?
Report Post »blanco5
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 10:53amHow is this whole “olympic” thing going to work if we are ONE world?
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 12:22pmIf the whole World was…. Communist, Socialist, or Capitalist, Nations would still fight each… and given a whole World… of One Religion, Sects would fight each other. We are a Species of Predator… and what we do is: Disagree & Fight!
Report Post »meeester
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 12:54pmMy comment was censored. Between that, popups, and lame formatting for smartphones this site isn’t what it could be.
Report Post »ThePostman
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 10:32amI feel sorry for all the people that carried it before him. Turns out, they did not carry the actual olympic flame, just a dead thread of it. Their fire never made it to the big show.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 10:50amMaybe the International Olympic Committee will sponsor grief counseling sessions for all involved.
Report Post »momrules
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 10:29amI really could not care less about the torch going out but this article from WND did catch my attention this morning.
http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/obama-slaughter-of-christians-a-misunderstanding/?cat_orig=world
Report Post »Mark0331
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 10:50am…great link…Barry should send shivers down peoples spines, the way he lies so cooly and confidently…A tortured soul resides in that ‘mans’ mortal coil…sad
Report Post »Vickie Dhaene
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 11:06am@MOMRULES Thank you for the link. We will win if we keep using Obummbler’s own words.
Report Post »oyster0302
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 10:18amSay BUD got a LITE.
Report Post »RedManBlueState
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 3:36pmI said “Bud Light!”
Report Post »22AUTOMATIC
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 10:13amI discovered the culprit of the torch going out in this video which shows it from another angle. (see link)
http://youtu.be/Q3IQF_A6m4c
It was the Last Son of Krypton, Jor-El
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 10:10amIf the flame goes out… you must restart the whole relay all over again!
If the flame goes out… it is an Omen of the Anger of the gods!
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 10:08amThat was awesome Blaze! Now maybe some video of paint drying…or soccer?
Report Post »chips1
Posted on May 21, 2012 at 10:16amOr another Obama speech.
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