The relay for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia began on Monday with the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic torch. The idea behind the Olympic torch is that it remains lit for four months on a journey across thousands of miles to the site of the Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Games. More than 14,000 torchbearers will take part in the journey in Russia with one objective — keeping the torch lit.
Unfortunately for one gentleman, that task has already proven to be quite difficult. After the torch was lit in Moscow on Monday, the flame went out while one of the first torchbearers was carrying it. A man who was standing along the trail had to lend a hand by relighting to the torch with a lighter he had in his pocket.
Russian president Vladimir Putin was likely not impressed. In reality, this probably happens more than we realize. The fact that the flame went out so quickly and the way the situation was remedied happened to make it pretty entertaining. If it’s any consolation for the guy who was carrying the torch, this torchbearer from London is still probably more embarrassed than he’ll ever be.
