Special report: 2008 Olympic
Games
BEIJING, May 5 -- The Olympic torch relay in Guangzhou will scale White
Cloud Mountain and cross the Pearl River, covering a distance of 40.82
kilometers across the city for nine to 10 hours on Wednesday, it was announced
Sunday.
"The torch will arrive in Guangzhou on Tuesday night from Haikou after it
finishes its first provincial leg on the Chinese mainland on Hainan," Zeng
Xiaohong, vice-director of the Guangdong Sports Bureau, told the media.
Yang Jinghui, diving champion at Athens 2004, will start the torch relay in
Guangzhou at Baiyun International Convention Centre, followed by 207 other
torchbearers who will scale White Cloud Mountain, pass the Memorial Hall of Sun
Yat-sen and the century-old pedestrian street of Beijing Road, and cross the
Pearl River twice before reaching Tianhe Sports Stadium, where Fencing World
champion Dong Zhaozhi, the final torchbearer, will light the cauldron.
"These two athletes are the first and final torchbearers since the Olympics
is in essence a sports event," said Gu Shiyang, deputy secretary-general of
Guangzhou municipal government.
"As for the route, we aim to demonstrate to the world that Guangzhou is a
city with more than 2,200 years of history and at the same time is a modern
city."
This will be the second time Guangzhou has hosted a torch relay for an
international sports event. As the host city of the 2010 Asian Games, Guangzhou
was also a torch relay city for the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
"We've gained some valued experiences to ensure this torch relay is a
success in Guangzhou," said Gu.
Various plans have been drafted for possible changes and emergencies. These
include plans to ensure a smooth relay in the rain since showers are forecast
for Wednesday, and a possible clash with the torch relay on Mount Qomolangma.
According to the rules of the Olympics Games, since the torch relay cannot
take place at the same time in two different locations, during the one-hour
relay to the peak of Mount Qomalangma, torch relays in other places have to be
suspended.
On Wednesday, the torch will leave for Shenzhen.
(Source: China Daily)
