IT WAS only a fleeting visit by the Olympic torch to the Republic of Ireland but its significance should not be measured by the hours and minutes it spent on the ground in Dublin and at the Border handover. The tens of thousands of curious and enthusiastic onlookers who lined the streets of the capital yesterday were witnessing a piece of sporting history that few would have imagined when London won the rights to host the 2012 Olympics seven years ago.
In 2005, the battle to host the 2012 games came down to a straight fight between London and Paris. Then British prime minister Tony Blair wrongfooted his French counterpart Jacques Chirac to secure the games by fronting a bid that promised an Olympics which would live up to the noble ideals of peace and friendship, not to mention a budget that would bankroll some small countries.
Those Olympic ideals of peace and harmony have been more honoured in the breach than the observance since the modern games were instituted in 1896. A truly global sporting event like the Olympics has always been used as a political tool, from the introduction of the torch by the Nazis in 1936, through the political boycotts by Russia and the US in 1980 and 1984, to the protest-scarred torch procession for the Beijing Olympics.
Against that background, the International Olympic Committee and the London organisers deserve congratulations for taking a step that can only be construed as a reward for political progress in Ireland by bringing the torch to both parts of the country. That decision was helped in no small way by the influence Ireland’s IOC member Pat Hickey wields at the cutting edge of Olympic politics.
For Irish sports fans, the London Games will be as close as they will come to a home Olympics. Irish companies have been involved in building many of the Olympic venues while thousands will travel to London to watch the world’s best athletes compete. That bond will only have been enhanced by yesterday’s celebrations, which struck the right note from the moment Irish medal winners from the Barcelona Olympics, Wayne McCullough from Belfast, handed the torch to Michael Carruth from Dublin at the Border.
Within a few weeks, on the night of July 27th, the torch run will culminate with the lighting of the Olympic flame in London. One of the great moments of any Olympics will have an added resonance this year for Ireland.