What are the origins on the Olympic torch and what is Roger Federer in for with his new coach?

Torch Songs

In what year did the Olympic torch make its first journey from Olympia to the site of the Olympic games as it still does today? If your first guess was a date in ancient times, think again. Why would the torch have to travel anywhere? Olympia was the site of the Olympics so where would the torch go? Besides, the torch was not a symbol of the ancient games.

The modern Olympic games started in Greece in 1859 so the torch still would not have had far to travel and those games didn’t have an Olympic torch either. No, the correct answer is 1936 and the Olympics were hosted by Berlin. Yes, Mr. Hitler came up with the Olympic torch, yet another symbol designed to bolster his nationalistic agenda. He had a genius for such things.

This is all covered in an excellent article about the history of the torch in Monday’s New York Times. Later this month, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., will also join in the Olympic celebration with an exhibit titled, “Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936.”

Hitler’s torch made its way from Greece through Eastern Europe and Vienna tracing out a path that Hitler’s army would soon take. In 2008, China sent the torch through Taiwan so that everyone is clear that China considers Taiwan to be its property rather than an independent sovereign nation.

You can see why the torch ceremony brings out the protesters but there are more creative ways of expressing opposition to this sometimes nationalistic procession posing as a symbol of peace. During the runup to the 1956 Olympics in Australia, the Times article says, a student took a chair leg and an empty plum-pudding tin and made his own torch. He stuffed a pair of underwear into his torch, lit the underwear, and presented it to the Mayor of Sydney. Those Aussies, they just can’t help being performance artists.

Fed’s New Coach

It’s time for musical chairs – in this case, recycled tennis coaches. Roger Federer has chosen Jose Higueras as his new coach and, really, how much choice was there?

Mats Wilander won the French Open more than a few times and he would have been a good choice if he hadn’t questioned Federer’s manhood after Federer refused to attack the net in his 2006 French Open final loss to Rafael Nadal. Larry Stefanki is otherwise employed though so is Higueras – he coaches Robby Ginepri who must feel just a little bit less important at the moment. Darren Cahill is a very gracious and proper guy but he doesn’t seem to wander too far from Las Vegas. Brad Gilbert is anything but gracious and proper. Where are the young, up and coming coaches? Anyone have any suggestions?

I must say I’m a bit puzzled by the choice of Higueras. When Pete Sampras was faltering and went winless at the slams for a two year period before finally winning his last slam, he worked with Higueras for a while. I remember an interview with Pete just after he’d played a match and just before he took off for the practice court. That’s right, the practice court, and it was after a match, not before. Pete admitted at the time that this was not something he was used to.

That’s what it’s like working with Higueras and that seems like the last thing Federer needs at the moment. Evidently Federer stopped off at the Mayo Clinic on his way home after the Indian Wells-Miami Master Series swing. Maybe he was just checking to make sure he really is over his bout of mononucleosis but even if he is, surely overwork can’t be a good thing.

I’m also puzzled by Federer’s choice to play Estoril considering that the three clay court Masters Series events will be squeezed into four weeks this year and the first one starts next Monday. He plays very few optional events so he could be piling up some easy points to pad his lead over Nadal and I wonder if he’ll find a way to opt out of the middle Masters Series event in Rome so that he’ll be fresh for Hamburg. By that time Nadal will be even more exhausted than he was last year when Federer beat him. Nadal is playing his home tournament in Barcelona and that gives him no weeks off between Monte Carlo and Hamburg.

Just one more reason that Nadal is likely to lose to someone this clay court season even if it’s not Federer. And I’m guessing it won’t be Federer.