Torch 2012: Britain trembles at Torch threat: Liberty is unowned!

This will not be the last of this debate, but it is worthy irony to note that the Torch already intimidates London because it represents a tiny bit more freedom than a land without a constitution can bear.

London 2012 Summer Olympics
May End Global Torch Tour
By AARON O. PATRICK
May 22, 2008 1:02 p.m.
LONDON -- The London summer Olympics in 2012 may end the practice of taking the Olympic torch on a global tour, organizers said Thursday.

A final decision could be a few years away, said Sebastian Coe, head of London's Olympic organizing committee at a press conference Thursday.

BEIJING 2008

Read complete coverage of the Olympics and China's efforts to prepare for the Games, and track the torch's route.
The torch relay has become a particularly delicate decision after China's recent experience. Human rights and Tibetan activists disrupted the torch relay in cities around the world, creating a public relations debacle for China ahead of the Beijing Olympics this summer.

In its bid to host the games in 2012, London proposed taking the famous symbol of the Olympics on a tour of countries whose citizens had won the Nobel Peace Prize, according to Jackie Brock-Doyle, director of communications and public affairs for the London Olympics organizing committee. But London had "never made a decision" to hold the tour and isn't obligated to run the event, Ms. Brock-Doyle said. London's plan will have to be approved by the International Olympic Commission, the Olympics' governing body.

Throughout most of its history, the Olympic torch was carried by runners --usually a cross-section of society -- on a tour around the country hosting the games. It didn't become an international event until the Athens games in 2004.

"We should not forget that traditionally the relay has been inside the country organizing the games," said Denis Oswald, a member of the International Olympic Committee, at the press conference. "It's an exception."

Mr. Oswald gave the city a 9.75 out of 10 for its work preparing for the games so far.

One concern is that Britain's torch tour could become a focus for activists, including protests over the war in Iraq, much like the recent tour for the Beijing Olympics.

Write to Aaron O. Patrick at aaron.patrick@wsj.com