Bit of a furore today about Olympic torches and torch bearers' outfits being sold on eBay.
My mum was in a froth about it on Saturday until I pointed out that the torch bearers did have to buy their torches at £250 a pop (with a few exceptions: those given to sponsors, and those where the local council, like ours, has agreed to pay for them).
If they've bought their torch, it really is their perogative whether or not to sell it. As one torch bearer pointed out, it's quite large to go on the mantelpiece.
Times have changed in that we don't need, or have room for, physical reminders of achievements and happy times.The torch bearers have a rich library of photos and YouTube clips to remember their achievement. They don't need the torch itself to remind them.
Times are very hard and for some people selling their torch will give them money that's sorely needed.
Reports that a torch sold for over one hundred thousand pounds are wrong: the person has almost certainly been the victim of a hoax. She was on TV this morning saying the money was to go to charity anyway. An auctioneer said today that with the nunber of torches around, they won't sell for more than three thousand pounds.
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4 comments
I thought the carrying of the flame in a Davy lamp was a nice touch. I imagine a lot of kids were asking their parents 'What's THAT?' though!
I propose that there should be only ONE Olympic torch, which must be physically transported by runners and swimmers from Athens to the site of the competition. And if the torch is lost or the flame goes out, the games are cancelled and the runner must pay the full cost.
An Interesting Fact... The torch ceremony was invented for the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a Nazi propaganda move. The torch was proudly carried from Athens to Berlin, by way of the countries Germany would later occupy.
I don't mind them selling the torches as such but what they've paid for them is half what they cost to produce. So they're getting a subsidised memento.
They should at least stump up the rest of the cost to LOCOG because we know who'll be paying for any shortfall on the Olympics...
I think £3,000 return for £250 is pretty good. No, you can't blame people who do sell but I hope they do it for charity & get into the spirit of things.
Maggie X
Nuts in May
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