Vancouver, Feb 9 (DPA) Arnold Schwarzenegger will hand the Olympic torch to former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe Friday ahead of the opening ceremony at the Vancouver Games.
The California governor and the two-time Olympic gold medallist runner, now London 2012 chairman, are among torch relay participants Friday morning in Vancouver.
Other runners at the end of the 106-day relay are Walter Gretzky, the father of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, astronaut Julie Payette and former hockey player Richard Brodeur.
“Clearly we want to have a big finish,” said John Furlong, chief executive of the Vancouver organising committee (VANOC).
Organisers are giving nothing away on who will actually light the cauldron at the opening ceremony later in the evening in BC Place stadium, although Wayne Gretzky himself is seen as a candidate.
The torch relay and opening ceremony will coincide with an anti-Olympics rally in Vancouver at which police are expecting some 1,500 protesters.
“We told them (the IOC) what we expect and security is telling us that the protests that may occur are expected to be peaceful and within the law,” VANOC vice-president Dave Cobb said.
Rogge told reporters: “For us it is not an issue. We accept the protest. We accept people protesting. It is a democratic freedom of expression. What we want is no violence and we want people to respect the laws of the country and then there is no problem.”
Rogge said he could not comment on a report that a US freelance journalist and anti-Olympic activist was turned away by Canadian authorities at Vancouver airport on Saturday.
“I am not aware of that,” Rogge said.
“If reporters have been turned away at the borders this is a decision by public authorities in Canada and is not for me to comment on. We give no directives on this issue.”
rounak