Special report:   2008 Olympic Games 

    By Sportswriter Zhang Rongfeng

    MACAO, May 3 (Xinhua) -- After touring Hong Kong amid great passion, the Olympic torch on Saturday was paraded in Macao before heading for the Chinese mainland.

    Like the scenes of crowding, flag waving and cheering in Hong Kong, the torch relay ignited great enthusiasm in Macao, which has surpassed the Las Vegas Strip as the world's top gambling center.

    The relay started at 3:45 in the afternoon at the Fisherman's Wharf entertainment district before heading to some of Macao's most famous historic sites and the 500-year-old A-Ma temple.

    International Olympic Committee (IOC) member He Zhenliang delivered a speech in the opening ceremony on behalf of IOC president Jacques Rogge.

    "The Olympic torch relay delivers Chinese greetings to the world and brings blessings of the world to the Beijing Olympics," said He.

    "The relay here will light the heart of the Macao people, in particular young people here."

    The torch crossed two of the huge bridges that link the city center to two outlying islands, where it passed the giant Venetiancasino. Several other casino resorts, including the Wynn Macao andthe Grand Lisboa, were also along the route.

    At the last stop outside the Chinese mainland, the flame was carried by 120 torchbearers, including octogenarian casino magnate Stanley Ho.

    The 86-year-old Ho, also known as Ho Hung-sun, is an entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Macao.

    Ho is the wealthiest person in Macao, and one of the wealthiest in Asia. According to Forbes, he tied for 104th rank among the world's richest people in 2007, with an estimated net worth of 7.0billion U.S. dollars.

    "I saw a lot of TV shows of torch relay. Now it's quite different feeling for me to hold the torch," said Ho.

    "In fact, it's not a problem for me to run some distance at all, but the organizers care about me and arranged a short leg for me. Personally I feel I'm capable of running a little longer.

    "I'm proud to see the Olympic Games held in China and I give my full support to it," he said.

    Ho's daughter Ho Chaoqiong also carried the torch in Hong Kong on Friday.

    Local martial art athlete Leong Hong Man took the starting position to kick off the event.

    "I am grateful to the organizer's trust and support by making me as the first torchbearer, which is certainly a great honor to me," said Leong, who has represented Macao to compete in the Asian Games twice.

    Leong Heng Teng, a member of the Executive Council of the Special Administration Region (SAR) government, was named as the last torchbearer in the relay.

    Mauel Silverio, first vice-president of the Macao Olympic Committee, was also among the torchbearers.

    "Looking back to the day of successfully bidding for the Beijing Olympic Games, as a member from Macao in the delegation in Moscow, I was so proud and excited," said Silverio.

    "Today reminds me of that moment and I recover that feelings."

    Lu Ning, a staff from Gome Home Appliances HK Ltd, was one of the proud torch bearers.

    "I feel immensely honored that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be taking place in our homeland, China. The Olympic flame spreads the Olympic spirit and inspires us to make the world a better place," said Lu.

    Hong Kong actress Miriam Yeung Chin-Wah carried the torch in the 16th place.

    The Olympic flame will be flown to the holiday resort of Hainan Island late Saturday, its first stop on the mainland before making its way to Beijing in time for the August 8 opening ceremony.

    Macao is one of the two special administrative regions of China, the other being Hong Kong. Macao lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east and south.