Part 2 - LA84 Foundation

386
12. Torch Relay
43. The Olympia '88 cruises into Pusan
harbor.
44. The torch sets out from the port city of
Pusan toward Seoul.
45. A grandfather and grandson clad in
traditional Korean dress join in the torch
relay.
12.6
Review and Evaluation
With attention and expectation of the
world, the Olympic torch was relayed
by runners at home and abroad from
all walks of life, showing off variegating
costumes and using various methods
of relay, making the relay most spectacular
and colorful of any past torch
relays.
Unlike the past Games, the flame
lighting ceremony, torch relay in
Greece and torch delivery ceremony
were conducted with the full fanfare of
public relations campaigns by the
Hellenic Olympic Committee and the
Greek government, and with magnificent
preparations, drawing a multitude
of crowds.
The performance by the Seoul City
Dance Company and a Korean folk
percussion ensemble introduced
Korean traditional culture to Greece
and helped consolidate ties between
Korea and Greece.
The festival orchestrated to greet the
arrival of the torch was staged by 2,978
performers representing 14 programs
to herald the prelude to the opening of
the Olympic Games and to inspire
public awareness of the Olympics. The
planners certainly owe the success of
the festival to the dedicated endeavors
especially by students performers who
sacrificed their summer vacation.
One noticeable aspect of the domestic
torch relay was that as many as 150
foreigners took part in the relay. Never
in the Olympic history had foreign
runners numbering 90 represented
NOCs in the torch relay. This made the
torch relay a very significant event.
A total of 108 overseas Korean residents
also joined in the torch relay,
creating a touching moment in the
torch relay running.
Unlike past Games, the runners did
not wear the uniform of uniformal
design, but they were clad in eyecatching
costumes to represent the
runners themselves or the regional
cultures, well blending with the diverse
festivals held at each arrival point of
different regions. This was another
factor making the torch relay a
resounding success.
The torch relay was a spectacular
event that elevated the Olympics from
sport festival into a festival of world
peace.