Visitors to Vancouver were frustrated that the outdoor Olympic flame was cordoned off behind a chain-link fence (it was quickly opened up).

ECONOMIST: Sporting success and brash patriotism

Before the Olympics, I ran with the Olympic flame in my old home town of Bexhill-on-Sea in the south of England, which was a tremendous honor.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The Olympic flame was jointly lit by four Canadian sports heroes - all-time hockey great Wayne Gretzky, skier Nancy Greene, speed skater Catriona Le May Doan and basketball All-Star Steve Nash after being carried into the arena by paralympian Rick Hansen.

BBC: Winter Olympics start despite luge tragedy

Mr Rogge said that like the messengers in ancient times who shared news of the Olympic truce - the laying down of arms for the Games - "the torchbearers who carry this flame to London will spread the message of sport's capacity to promote peace and to make our world a better place".

BBC: London 2012: Olympic Games flame lit in Greece

In a statement it also said no-one would be more than an hour away from the Olympic flame.

BBC: London 2012: Torch makers "disappointed" with route

I've been lucky enough to have had a similar view of the United Kingdom as the Olympic flame did as it traveled my country, because in 2009, I ran 43 marathons -- 1166 miles -- around the British Isles, and I saw first hand, how positive and supportive the real British people can be.

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Meanwhile, the lighting in Olympia, Greece, of the flame for the Olympic games to be held in Beijing in August was briefly disrupted by protesting press-freedom activists.

ECONOMIST: Politics this week