Olympic Torch Relay history

From the official Beijing Olympics website:

"The Torch Relay, as the opening of the Olympic celebration, was revived in the Berlin Olympiad in 1936 and since then the Torch Relay has preceded every Olympic Summer Games. Starting from Olympia and carried by the first runner, the young athlete Konstantinos Kondylis, the Flame traveled for the first time hand to hand until it reached the Berlin Olympic Stadium. Since, the Flame's magic has marked and has been identified with the beginning of the Games.

Olympiads that followed, the Torch Relay continued to play an important role, having been enriched with the characteristics and cultures of the host countries. The choice of the athlete who lights the Flame in the Olympic stadium is always symbolic to the host country."

I wonder why the Germans decided to revive the torch relay? According to a 2004 NY Times article, the Olympic Torch has some very modern motivations..

"Hitler, who admired the powerful imagery of Greek gods like Zeus, wanted his Games to promote his belief in Aryan supremacy. The torch relay, memorialized in Leni Riefenstahl's film, "Olympia," was part of Hitler's elaborate attempt to add myth, mystique and glamour to an Olympics intended to intimidate pre-World War II Europe. In Hitler's eyes, the torch symbolized the perfection and victory of the German nation."

My question is regarding the nature of symbols. The original symbol of the Olympic Torch in ancient Greece stood for the symbolic creation of the world, renewal and light. Hitler reclaimed the torch to symbolize Aryan dominance and world power. Since then, many claim that the nature of the 1936 games, largely due to the brilliance of Jesse Owens, reclaimed the symbol of the Olympics ( thus also the torch) as a place where all nations can compete equally and peacefully and come together promoting world peace through sportsmanship. This has been my feelings about the Olympics, a positive, global symbol of peace and good will. But what does the torch symbolize? Have we successfully taken back the symbol of the Olympic torch to be a benevolent symbol of the games? What symbolism does this year's torch bring? Through China's dogged refusal to adhere to basic human rights policies for their citizens and the citizens of Tibet, has the torch come to symbolize protection of a false truth? Is it more right to send police to protect the torch then to send police to China to protect those hurt by China's human rights abuses? In the spirit of the games, is it wrong for those to protest what they believe in? Was it wrong of the IOC to select China to host the games? Controversial yes, but was it wrong? Will it do more harm then good for the immediate future? For the long term?

If history is any indicator, the Chinese Olympics will ignite a flame on a global scale, bringing the blatant corruption of the Chinese government to stand on the world's stage. I think we are going to see retaliation on the part of the Chinese in the near future. In the long term, Hitler failed, Germany reformed, and I have hope that the Chinese Olympics will help reform China in the long term as well.