The Olympic Cauldron has always been one of the most photographed symbols at an Olympic Games... but it won't be this time around.
Organisers for London 2012 Olympics have decided to keep the flame hidden from public view because 'it was not created to be a tourist attraction'.
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The comments by Lord Sebastian Coe, the Locog chairman, will only further anger those who had hoped to get a glimpse of the famous flame. The British public came out in droves to see the torch relay when it passed through their town, but it seems that's the only chance they'll get.
The steel and copper cauldron, lit at the glittering opening ceremony on Friday, will not burn above the stadium as at previous Games, but will instead remain inside the Olympic stadium. Only those who have tickets to see track and field events, held at the venue, will be able to see it.
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Lord Coe added: 'It is partly keeping with what we did in 1948', referring to when the Olympic flame was placed inside the stadium at the 1948 Olympics.
A spokesman for Locog said: 'The Olympic flame which has been seen by nearly 15 million people on its 70 day journey around the UK will be moved overnight on the 29th July to its resting position in the same position as the Opening Ceremony bell.
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'It will be projected on the stadium’s big rooftop screens during the first week.'
This isn’t the first time that the cauldron has been concealed from public view however.
A fierce row erupted at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics when organisers chose to fence off the cauldron and position security guards, blocking it from the large numbers of visitors who had flocked to catch glimpse or a picture of the symbol.
Officials were forced to remove some of the protection to allow for more visitor-friendly access to the cauldron after uproar by the Canadian public.
