San Fran switcheroo

The Olympic torch relay organizers have now resorted to switching their route at the last minute to avoid protests: The first runner held the torch aloft and began the route, flanked by tall, blue-clad Chinese security officials. But the group then promptly disappeared into a large waterfront warehouse for a last-minute change of route by ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

The Olympic torch relay organizers have now resorted to switching their route at the last minute to avoid protests:

The Olympic torch relay organizers have now resorted to switching their route at the last minute to avoid protests:

The first runner held the torch aloft and began the route, flanked by tall, blue-clad Chinese security officials. But the group then promptly disappeared into a large waterfront warehouse for a last-minute change of route by authorities to head off trouble. What Chinese Olympic organizers have called a "Journey of Harmony," quickly became the mystery of the missing flame.

Note to China and the IOC: At the point where you’re actually hiding the torch from onlookers, it may be time to cut your losses and grab the next plane to Beijing.

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

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