The Olympic torch relay is fast fading into history. When the time comes for the next Olympics in 2012 one thing is certain - the traditional torch relay will bear no relation to the spectacle that has prevailed in the past.
The age of protest has discovered this symbol and converted it into a political statement to be used to highlight whatever is the grievance appropriate for that occassion.
China was taken by surprise when protests erupted over Tibet - and yet their emergence should not be surprising. Unrest has been simmering in the mountain kingdom for years, stoked by brutality and an attempt by the central authorities to dilute Tibetan culture and stack the country with Han Chinese to make the Tibetans a minority in their own land.
If the next Olympics is to be held in London one thing is certain. The Tibetan revolt will show the way for whatever grievance is the order of the day to be exploited by way of demonstrations and attempts to disrupt the games.
Most likely the torch relay will survive in a different form. The idea of runners carrying it through the streets may be abandoned in favour of some sort of mechanical journey over land and water, but the magic will be gone and whatever journey is chosen will be the target of protest.
What remains to be seen is if this Olympics survives as a contest between the athletes of world countries - or if the protest mentality actually manages to invade the games themselves - stopping events and causing death and destruction.
World politics is now a part of the Olympics. The question is - can the Olympics survive in a form acceptable to the majority of the world ? Or is the spirit of Olympic competition now a thing of the past ?
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