Delhi braces for PR battle

April 17th is D-day for the Chinese government and Olympic sponsor brands who will be watching the four year tradition of the Olympic torch relay make its Delhi entry. It’s a PR nightmare waiting to unfold. With India being the largest centre for Tibetan refugees, the government will be prepared for the worst, if the recent incident in Paris is any indicator of the growing anti-Beijing protests taking place. Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia, a practicing Buddhist, who was scheduled to be a part of the torch relay, backed off citing his support for the cause of Tibet.

The Olympics torch relay has become a hotbed of cross purposes with the Tibetan faction attempting to use the relay as a public relations exercise that can help them win larger support globally for their cause, while the Chinese government is attempting to salvage the situation by trying to ensure that the anti-Beijing protest are kept low key. While the former has probably been successful in London and most recently in Paris, what happens in Delhi will decide whether China can actually salvage the image of the Beijing Olympics 2008.