CANADA: WINTER OLYMPICS VANCOUVER 2010 - Visitors call on Olympic organisers to remove the chain-link fence surrounding the Olympic cauldron

Record ID: 329678

  • Title: CANADA: WINTER OLYMPICS VANCOUVER 2010 - Visitors call on Olympic organisers to remove the chain-link fence surrounding the Olympic cauldron
  • Date: 16th February 2010
  • Summary: VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (FEBRUARY 15, 2010) (REUTERS) PEOPLE TAKING PICTURES OF OLYMPIC CAULDRON CLOSE-UP OF FLAME BOY HANGING OFF FENCE TO SEE FLAME WOMAN TAKING PHOTOGRAPH WOMAN STANDING ON PLATFORM TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPH OF CAULDRON A COUPLE LOOK AT THEIR PICTURES ON CAMERA MAN TAKING PHOTOGRAPH MEN BEING PHOTOGRAPHED WITH FLAME IN THE BACKGROUND CLOSE-UP OF CAULDRON VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LOOKING AT FLAME NO TRESPASSING SIGN ON FENCE SOUNDBITE (English) UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN SAYING "It was a little tough to take pictures through a chain-link fence, we want to free the flame. We're hoping that after the Olympics it will open up so that we can see." MORE PEOPLE TAKING PICTURES WOMAN TAKING PHOTOGRAPH ON CAMERAPHONE SOUNDBITE (English) UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN SAYING"I wish I could have got a picture without the fence in front but you do what you do." CHILD ON MAN'S SHOULDERS
  • Embargoed: 3rd March 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Canada
  • Country: Canada
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA98U5T5YNCMPLXENKM7Z8D1B0E
  • Story Text: For tens of thousands pouring into downtown Vancouver on Monday (February 15), the Olympic cauldron, most important symbol of the Winter Games, was locked behind a ring of steel.
    Instead of a clear view of the four-armed metallic structure against a backdrop of snow-topped mountains -- the picture postcard image from television shots -- visitors to the Vancouver waterfront saw packed streets, disappointed crowds, and a chain-link fence.
    Peering between the heads, one caught a glimpse of the cauldron, its flames glowing orange against the Vancouver sky.
    "It was a little tough to take pictures through a chain-link fence, we want to free the flame. We're hoping that after the Olympics it will open up so that we can see," said one Vancouver resident.
    Others were happy just to get a picture of the flaming cauldron.
    "I wish I could have got a picture without the fence in front but you do what you do," said another visitor.
    Organisers said the ugly fence in front of the cauldron is a necessary accessory to a Games which have been marked by occasionally violent protests.
    Games spokeswoman Renee Smith-Valade told reporters that the fence was secure as well as to protect people from getting too close to the flames.
    Smith-Valade said officials were looking at the possibility of replacing the fence, which has a big "No Trespassing" sign on it that further blocks the view of the cauldron, with something less unsightly. She gave no further details.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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