Argus investigates Olympic torchbearers in Sussex

The Argus reports on corporate torchbearers in Sussex

The Argus reports on corporate torchbearers in Sussex

The Argus in Sussex is the latest newspaper to ask questions of the allocation of Olympic torch relay places: “between the charity fundraisers, world record holders and people who have dedicated their lives to helping others,” reports Tim Ridgway and Charlotte Pemberton, “there will be Olympic officials and representatives from multinational corporations who live abroad. This despite organisers promising it would “enable local communities to shine a light on the best their area has to offer”.”

The Argus report comes on the heels of yesterday’s investigation by the Daily Echo in Bournemouth and Help Me Investigate’s work on the subject last month.

Among torchbearers identified by the newspaper are:

Gaelle Guerchet, of Malville, France – more than 500 miles away from Brighton – was nominated for being president of a sports group in Africa.

Another torchbearer Ximo Peris, 42, London, has been nominated for holding media workshops for school children.

Yet The Argus can reveal he actually created a film which was used by the London 2012 team when bidding for the games.

Julia Zeen, 30, a freelance graphic designer from Brighton, was selected to carry the torch through Lancing by sponsors Coca Cola.

She is currently designing the multinational’s range of pin badges for London 2012.

Among the comments, ‘Hove Actually’ says:

“This is rewards for the boys with a few locals thrown in to keep the masses quiet as usual, same as the tickets”

The article also lists a number of inspiring local nominees who missed out on torchbearer places.

A full list of people carrying the torch through Sussex, with those from outside the county highlighted, is also on the site.

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5 thoughts on “Argus investigates Olympic torchbearers in Sussex

  1. I’ve noticed a surprising number of non-UK resident Chinese nationals – all middle-aged men – carrying the Olympic torch in Essex over the last couple of days. None of them have a nomination story but all have photos of themselves on the London 2012 website. Some kind of kick-back I wonder? Any one have any thoughts?

    • From what I’ve seen, of those without stories, a striking proportion share their names and other details with telecoms and other execs, particularly in the far east and Russia, many of whom have business relationships with Samsung. We’d welcome any help going through the 400 torchbearers without stories if you’re interested?

  2. What I am seeing is a mix of lies, deceit and corporate corruption. At the end of the day amongst other things, there will be a nation saddled by mountains of debt, whilst the ‘elite’ (Oh I despise that word) and their multinational corporations will be counting their increasing bank accounts and gold collections.
    “the LOVE of money is the root of all evil.”

  3. Pingback: A case study in online journalism: investigating the Olympic torch relay | Online Journalism Blog

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