Olympic Flame Pulls Vanishing Act

Organizers move cauldron out of sight, for now
By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 1, 2012 3:45 PM CDT
Olympic Flame Pulls Vanishing Act
Olympic tourists have been temporarily cut off from viewing the flame.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Where did that giant fire go? The traditional Olympic flame was ignited in an enormous cauldron inside London's Olympic stadium during the finale of the opening ceremony, but now the cauldron is nowhere to be seen. What gives? Officials temporarily extinguished the cauldron (keeping the "mother flame" alive inside a lantern) so it could be moved to a different location at the other end of the stadium, reports the Wall Street Journal. It won't be visible to the public again until track and field events start later this week.

London's vanishing flame runs contrary to what typically occurs at the Olympics—the flame is generally made visible high above the main stadium at all times. London officials set up screens to show video of the relit cauldron, but many spectators are miffed they won't be able to see the real thing. "We can't get in there at all—we don't have tickets for athletics," says a mother of three. The cauldron's placement has been beset by controversy from the start, notes the Telegraph. (More 2012 London Olympics stories.)

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