The history of the Olympic torch relay the torch itself go..

So, China is following the Nazi regime in mentality!


http://www.democracynow.org/2008/4/10/chinas_great_leap_human_rights_watch

excerpt:

AMY GOODMAN: I was shocked in reading last night the history of the
Olympic torch relay--you know, the torch itself going back to ancient
Greece--but the relay to be Nazi Olympics, 1936.

MINKY WORDEN: There's a wonderful book, new academic book called Nazi
Games, which gives a concise history of this. But the torch relay
itself is essentially a PR invention of the Nazi era. And the point of
it was to run the torch through parts of Europe that Germany hoped to--
that the Nazis hoped to take over, including the Sudetenland.
So it was--it really--I think if the corporate sponsors of the torch
relay really knew the history of this, I can't imagine that they'd
want to be associated with it. And those sponsors are Coca-Cola,
Lenovo and Samsung. And Human Rights Watch has also spent the last
year writing to and communicating with the corporate sponsors about the
--you know, they're literally paying for the Olympics. The Olympics are
paid for by the corporate sponsors. But there's certainly going to be
a price to pay in terms of corporate reputation if the torch relay
inside China turns into a major human rights debacle.

JUAN GONZALEZ: But isn't this part of the general problem obviously
with the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Games, that
it's become so dominated by the commercial interests that sponsor it,
rather than the original goal of the Games as a means of a greater
contact and interchange between countries and athletes? How do you see
the potential to be able to influence these companies?

MINKY WORDEN: Well, I'd like to return to your question, which is
really about the International Olympic Committee and what this body
is. I mean, I've been working on China for many years and working on
the International Olympic Committee for a couple of years. I've come
to the conclusion that the Chinese government is much more open,
transparent and accountable than the International Olympic Committee.
The Committee--what they really need is human rights benchmarks around
awarding the Games. And the Chinese government made very specific
pledges in relation to human rights in 2001, when they were bidding
for the Games, that included full freedom for the media to report and
human rights improvements. So, today, four months before the Games
arrive in Beijing, you don't see any of that, and the International
Olympic Committee has been largely silent on that.
You hear Jacques Rogge talking about sports being separated from
politics, but the history of the Olympic movement is nothing like
that. And certainly in 1988, when the games were in Korea, the Olympic
movement and external pressure led to significant permanent reform in
Korea, and the country is today one of the most durable democracies in
Asia.

AMY GOODMAN: Jacques Rogge said the staging of the Beijing Games will
do a lot for human rights and social relations. What would it take for
that to happen, do you think, Minky Worden?

MINKY WORDEN: Well, I think, you know, it's not too late, that the
wheels are certainly coming off, and it's apparent inside China, but
the Chinese government, because they are Communist, have the ability,
when they want to, to move very quickly to produce results. So there
are a number of--we call them Olympic prisoners of conscience, who have
been arrested specifically for doing things like testifying to the
European Parliament on human rights. These are people who should be
released immediately. And when the Chinese government wants to release
someone, it happens immediately. And that says there is not adequate
pressure coming now from the International Olympic Committee, there is
not enough pressure coming from world leaders who are planning to
attend the Games. This is China's so-called coming out party. And
there really is leverage that exists that is not being taken up by
corporate sponsors, by governments and by the International Olympic
Committee. And the one thing I would say is that the Chinese
government made these pledges voluntarily. These are voluntary
commitments. And there has to be a way to hold the Chinese government
to those voluntary commitments. ... (cont)