A controversy over the London Olympics cauldron was brewing yesterday, hours after a spectacular opening ceremony, with organizers deciding to put one of the most popular features of the Games out of sight for visitors to the Olympic Park.
The cauldron, a complex structure of 204 moving steel rods and copper petal-like elements representing the nations taking part in the Games, was ignited on Friday at the centre of the newly-built Olympic stadium during a dazzling opening bash.
Organizers, however, said yesterday it would be moved to the side of the stadium in the coming days, within view of the 60,000 spectators, to allow for track and field competitions.
Its new location is a nod to the 1948 Olympics, when London last staged the Games, and the place where the cauldron stood in the old Wembley stadium, cauldron designer Thomas Heatherwick said.
Read more: SABC
