One way or another, Beijing will get its Olympic flame. At Sunday's final rehearsal, clouds over the ancient games' ruined birthplace prevented organizers from kindling the torch for the 2008 Olympics in the traditional way - using the sun's rays harnessed in a convex mirror. Instead, a Greek actress in the white gown and sandals of a pagan high priestess used a backup flame lit at a rehearsal on Saturday. That flame will be sent to China if storms forecast for Monday scuttle the official lighting ceremony beside the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera in ancient Olympia. Clouds spoiled the ceremony for the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the last three Winter Olympics. But bad weather is not the only headache for the mock-ancient ceremony's organizers - who took the rare step of moving Monday's event an hour back to avoid rainstorms. Some 1,000 police will surround Ancient Olympia to keep pro-Tibetan protesters away from the flame-lighting, which International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge is scheduled to attend. Tendor Dahortsang, a protest organizer, said campaigners opposed to China's rule in Tibet are planning a peaceful protest on Monday. “We're keeping the details under wraps because we're not done planning right now and also because of security concerns as there is a lot of scrutiny on this (event),” he said. “We want to be there and to tell the world the truth about China ... China's crackdown on peaceful Tibetan protesters, (and its) 50 years of illegal occupation of Tibet.” But a Greek government official said politics had no place at the ancient site. “We are determined to safeguard the flame ceremony,” he said, on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the event. __
