Olympic torch goes out for first time during 2012 relay

[retrosofer]

I cant help it but when i think of big spoting events like the Olympics, and being interested in ancient Greek and Roman culture, i always think of how the Roman elite treated these events, as a way of keeping the mob happy and entertained to keep their minds off of thinking about their real daily troubles.

[Elgin_McQueen]

Haven't read through all this so sorry if it's been mentioned already. But, is the torch permanently on? I mean it starts in Greece before every Olympics, but then gets flown to different countries. Surely they have to extinguish it before the plane journey and relight it again on the other side?

[merman]

Haven't read through all this so sorry if it's been mentioned already. But, is the torch permanently on? I mean it starts in Greece before every Olympics, but then gets flown to different countries. Surely they have to extinguish it before the plane journey and relight it again on the other side?

The flame is lit by the rising sun on Mount Olympus and transferred to a lamp (in fact, four of them this time). Those lamps can be carried on a plane, then used to light the torches (or relight them).

Oh, and while it is true the Nazis did use the relay as propaganda, the sacred flame burning through the competition was used first in Amsterdam in 1928.