Torch, Olympic torch

An Olympic torch designed for the torch relay leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The torch represents a curved paper scroll and incorporates elements associated with Chinese traditions and culture. The decoration is coloured red whilst the shape of the paper scroll and the lucky clouds express the idea of harmony. This torch was presented to the Mayor of London by the organising committee of the Beijing Games.

This is proably not the actual torch carried in the London leg of the Olympic torch relay, which began on April 6th 2008 and involved 80 torchbearers including paralympics, Olympic athletes and celebrities. The torch travelled through 10 London boroughs from Wembley to Greenwich, but the relay was not without incident as demonstrators protesting against Chinese policy in Tibet succeeded in disrupting the relay at several points along the route.