Bring cauldron out from behind bars

Vancouver Olympic organizers say they are considering changes to the chain link fencing blocking fans from getting a clear view of the Olympic cauldron.

Hundreds of people hoping to bask in the warmth of the flame have been left cold by the fact they can't get anywhere near the cauldron on a downtown Vancouver plaza.

On Sunday morning, one man yelled out: "Mr. Premier, tear down this fence!" - a reference to Ronald Regan's famous 1987 speech that challenged the Soviet Union to take down the Berlin Wall. The line prompted laughter from people in the crowd.

Taking down the fence altogether won't be an option, said Renee Smith-Valade, vice-president of communications for the organizing committee.

"I strongly doubt the security perimeter will be opened, given the sensitivity of the compound that it's in for the International Broadcast Centre and the Main Media Centre," she said.

"The goal is to make it so that at least people can take a picture and enjoy it through a photograph."

Olympic cauldrons are rarely directly accessible to fans, usually buring in or atop a stadium for the duration of the Games.

"There is a security issue and a safety issue too," said Mark Adams, a spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee, who said the issue of Vancouver's cauldron was not raised at a morning meeting between IOC and Vancouver officials.

But the idea of placing a flame behind a fence isn't sitting well with fans.

Viktor Davare, a native of Switzerland who now lives in the Vancouver Island community of Courtney, brought his 14-year-old daughter Nadia to see the flame. They had not expected to see the flame so far away behind security barriers.

"Looking through a fence, it's just a sad feeling," he said.

"I think it's terrible...It's just horrible" said Nadia. "It's like your own country that's hosting it and you should be able to go see the flame and be a part of it."

Her father said he had expected his daughter would be able to stand "in the same foot steps" of Wayne Gretzky, who lit the cauldron on Friday night.

"How close do you ever get a chance to do that in a special place like this, but now..." he said, not finishing the sentence.

Organizers say they are exploring options that won't compromise security but allow for a clear shot.

"We understand that people would like to get close and they would like to see it unobstructed so we'll look to see what we can do," said Smith-Valade.

The cauldron sits in a plaza named for Jack Poole, the chairman of the board of directors for the 2010 Olympic organizing committee, who passed away in October, the day before the flame was lit in Greece.

The choice to put the cauldron in the plaza was made with a view to its post-Games life as a monument to the Olympic Games along the waterfront and next to the $900 million Vancouver Convention Centre which is home to broadcasters during the Games.

So while the public can't get to the flame, those who have Olympic credentials can.

At one point Sunday morning, people on the outside of the fence could see Games volunteer staff posing by the flame and even leaning against one of the pillars that lead up to the cauldron.

"Look at that, so they can do it and we can't," said Nancy Ross of nearby Richmond, B.C. "So all we need is a blue jacket to get through" - a reference to the turquoise uniforms worn by the thousands of Games volunteers.

Others in the crowd Sunday dismissed concerns of Games organizers that the fence was necessary for security reasons.

"There's security right here, police right here," said Dave Patterson of suburban North Delta, pointing at the police who were on the other side of the fence.

"I don't understand why we need a 10-foot fence with concrete abutments to protect the Olympic flame, which is supposed to be about peace, harmony, global partnerships and all that great stuff."

The Canadian Press.