Olympic torch relay

olias

Ok, I realise this will single me out as a right misery, but.........

Just recently had the olympic torch relay pass through a nearby town - what a load of b******s!

The town centre was virtually shut down all day from 8am to 4pm - no parking anywhere, market cancelled (relay wasn't even due until between 2pm at the earliest)

When it arrived, this is exactly what happened -

Road was closed to traffic for about an hour and a half - nothing happened

A police car and a couple of police motor bikes went past blasting their sirens

A purpose built lorry which was effectively a huge mobile advertising billboard for Coca Cola went past blasting pop music, with what were obviously proffesionally employed marketing and events people on the back all cheerleading and screaming, while one blonde with a microphone screamed, 'woo, woo, yeah, are we all having fun? yeah, woo, woo, lets hear it for the olympic torch, yeh, woo, woo, yeah (repeat lots of times).

Ditto a Samsung mobile advertising hoarding

Ditto a Lloyds TSB mobile advertising hoarding

There was then a break of about 5 minutes, and everyone thought that was it and so started to leave or even left altogether, lol

(Oh, and then a really, really bored looking bloke in a unfeasibly white tracksuit jogged past carrying the torch)

Followed by a luxury coach decked out in olympic torch livery

Ditto a mini bus

Ditto a horse box (!!!????) - I kid you not!

Ditto a car

Ditto 2 more luxury coaches

Ending with another police car and two police motor bikes

All together the procession took about 7 minutes to pass.

Now tell me this, what do two multi billion pound multi national firms and a bank have to do with an athletic and sporting competition. And how does a bunch of out of town marketing and events staff playing unfeasably loud pop music while cheerleading and whooping and hollering, in any way 'engage and involve' local communities in the 2012 olympics and the olympic ideal.

To my mind, the whole thing just closed down the town for the whole day, and presumably cost the local businesses a fortune in lost trade, for the sake of a 7 minute advert for Coca Cola, Samsung and LloydsTSB.

Rant over....lol

Olias

ljonski

sounds about right!
went through here on Monday. main access road to carpark was blocked off 5 hours before torch was due to arrive. Not a single soul to be seen.

Mista_C

olias wrote: »

Ok, I realise this will single me out as a right misery, but.........

I don't think it singles you out at all. I've not heard one person (offline) express any interest in this at all.

I was thinking of preparing something for when it passes near me. Maybe buy a bulk load of super soakers, fill them and sell them for £30 each at the side of the road. Refill cartridges will be £10 each.

Oliver14

Wow someone's not getting his oats

RuthnJasper

Mista_C wrote: »

I don't think it singles you out at all. I've not heard one person (offline) express any interest in this at all.

I was thinking of preparing something for when it passes near me. Maybe buy a bulk load of super soakers, fill them and sell them for £30 each at the side of the road. Refill cartridges will be £10 each.

Put me down for a couple...

joannaspanner

olias wrote: »

woo, woo, lets hear it for the olympic torch, yeh, woo, woo, yeah (repeat lots of times).

haha !!!! yeh what a load of rubbish, what was the need for the sirens? Also why do there have to be 100 people in grey tracksuits running alongside the runner with the torch?

Lip_Stick

I went to see it and the roads only closed down once the procession had arrived, then reopened straight away again.

I noticed one of the buses had a girl with downs on, so perhaps they're not all filled with the marketing people.

System

joannaspanner wrote: »

haha !!!! yeh what a load of rubbish, what was the need for the sirens? Also why do there have to be 100 people in grey tracksuits running alongside the runner with the torch?

I think they may be the police. Sadly there are so many prats in this country that you have to guard against some idiot running in to grab the torch (all in the name of some ridiculous political cause).

joannaspanner

goater78 wrote: »

I think they may be the police. Sadly there are so many prats in this country that you have to guard against some idiot running in to grab the torch (all in the name of some ridiculous political cause).

true although I would enjoy it if some random person came and grabbed the torch and ran off with it :-)

System

joannaspanner wrote: »

true although I would enjoy it if some random person came and grabbed the torch and ran off with it :-)

Yes it would liven things up! The Chinese torch before the last olympics was far more fun. The torch was ringed by Chinese security and people were going at in every few metres. It was great television.

savemoney

They came to my town on Monday too. I couldn't give tuppence for Olympics nor the torch relay, far better the money was spent on local project that's benefit the majority than a few areas