LONDON 2012: Cheesegrater torch? Seb just can't do right for wrong

YOU could forgive Seb Coe for having the sinking feeling that he can't do right for wrong.

LOOKING GOOD: The London 2012 Olympic torch has been labelled a ‘cheesegrater’ with the appearance of a waste paper bin (Locog)

His logo is derided for being a Swastika, Zionist propaganda and cartoon porn, his cheeky mascots are dismissed as 'creepy aliens' and his marathon route includes just too many famous landmarks.

His Olympic torch relay route satisfies and snubs in equal measure and, as for the sale of tickets, the Olympic Games, it seems, are just far too popular.

But even Lord Coe must have thought he had a winner when he unveiled the prototype design for the torch that will travel 8,000 miles around the country next summer.

It's gold, it's sleek and it's rather cool and it's also the best bit of design to come out of these Games yet - the hugely over-budget aquatic centre dropping out of the medal places after the addition of two huge temporary stands, which mean only the ironic would now call it iconic.

"The gold-coloured aluminium torch has the meshed appearance of a useful kitchen implement," wrote one critic of the torch.

"It's a swish cheesegrater," said another.

"Does it come with Cheddar," jibed a third.

"It's just like a cigarette lighter," chimed a fourth, which - in a way - is exactly what it is.

However, the London 2012's torch certainly stands up against its predecessors, which usually look like they've come straight out of the props cupboard on a George Lucas movie set.

The bigger problem with the torch is it fails to deliver on another promise to deliver a sustainable Games - Coe claiming that attempts to produce a low-carbon torch were foiled by a lack of time, despite making the initial pledge four years ago.

"The excuse of 'we ran out of time' is not acceptable," said Shaun McCarthy, who chairs the commission overseeing the green credentials of next year's Games.

“We respect the need to make sure that any solution must be 100 per cent safe and reliable, but we are disappointed that Locog and their partner EDF Energy have failed in their objective to deliver a low-carbon Olympic torch.

"The carbon contribution of this initiative may have been relatively small, but the power of the message across the globe would have been highly significant. 

"The Olympic torch is a universal symbol of the Games, and a low-carbon torch would have been an unequivocal demonstration of London’s commitment to a truly sustainable Games."

It's not the first time London 2012 and their partners at the Olympic Delivery Authority had failed to hit an environmental target. 

Last year they admitted defeat on their bid to generate 20 percent of the Olympic Park's energy requirements from renewable sources.