Paris: The Olympic torch has been into space, deep underwater and even scaled Mount Everest. The flame is lit during the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on June 17, 2023. Heated protestsThe torch relay has been the target of several protests, most notably during the run-up to Beijing 2008 as demonstrators took China to task over its Tibet policy. In Japan, monks at an ancient Buddhist temple pulled out of hosting a torch ceremony because of the Chinese crackdown in Tibet. The torch relay set the tone for the subdued games, with public sections of the relay scrapped in areas where virus cases were spiking, including the final leg in Japan's capital.

Source: Manila Times June 23, 2023 16:30 UTC