We're still three weeks away from the Olympics and yet the Torch has been through enough to warrant an early retirement.
Isn't the whole point of lighting this thing months in advance of the Games to keep it burning until the flame is transferred from the small beacon to the big cauldron? Yes, it is.
So, I can't help but wonder ... who were the ad wizards that thought it a good idea to get the Torch on a raft and have it bound down some rapids? Because that happened, and naturally, the flame went out amid the white-water run at the Lee Valley Games Venue in Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, England, on Saturday.
A spokesman at the made-for-Torch event said, "In this instance it was due to water being splashed into the boat from the slalom course," making the spokesperson an invaluable source for stating an obvious fact, and in this case, really hammering home the "water = wet" sentiment.
That wasn't the only setback of the day, though, per the Daily Mail:
Day 50 proved a tricky one for the torch relay, after a crash between two motorcycles earlier forced a delay and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s turn carrying the flame was marred by pouring rain. In the first setback for the day, the torch convoy was held up for 20 minutes after two motorbike riders collided near Chelmsford, Essex, at around 7.40am, and had to be rushed to hospital with suspected broken bones.
So, yeah, the Flame is cursed. This can only mean incredible things for the Opening Ceremony, and in turn will give us something simple to blame if anything goes wrong.
