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Olympic Torch Arrives In Beijing
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Bianca
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Posts: 41646
Olympic Torch Arrives In Beijing
«
on:
August 05, 2008, 10:27:19 pm »
Olympic torch arrives in Beijing
AUG. 5, 2008
BEIJING (AFP) -
The Olympic torch's global odyssey began its final leg in the heart of Beijing on Wednesday, two days ahead of the Games, with basketball icon Yao Ming and astronaut hero Yang Liwei carrying the flame.
The skies over the Olympic venues in northern Beijing were hazy as smoggy conditions persisted two days before the opening ceremony of the Games.
Thousands of people waving Chinese flags gathered in the historic Tiananmen Square and elsewhere along the relay's route in an event that was broadcast on national television and showcased genuine national fervour for the Games.
The final stages in Beijing will mark an end to the most ambitious and controversial torch relay in Olympic history, after protests dogged its global journey and the domestic leg was overshadowed by the Sichuan earthquake.
But for many Chinese, the torch relay and in particular its final moments in Beijing, were a time for celebration.
"Amid the aspirations and well wishes of the people of the entire city, it will complete its harmonious journey welcoming the grand opening of the Games," Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong said at a ceremony in Tiananmen to start the leg.
The 130-day relay crossed 19 countries before returning to China for a three-month tour that included an historic ascent of Mount Everest.
In Beijing, Yang, the astronaut who in 2003 became the first Chinese to make it into space, was the first torchbearer, carrying the flame from Tiananmen Square, the political and historic heart of the city.
Yao Ming, one of China's most famous and loved athletes alongside 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang, was the ninth person to carry the flame.
Acclaimed film director Zhang Yimou, who is orchestrating the much anticipated Olympic opening ceremony, was also scheduled to carry the flame on Wednesday.
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Last Edit: August 05, 2008, 10:35:29 pm by Bianca
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Bianca
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Re: Olympic Torch Arrives In Beijing
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August 05, 2008, 10:30:57 pm »
Torch cheered through Tiananmen Square
By Paul Majendie and
Guo Shipeng
Aug. 6, 2008
BEIJING (Reuters) - Euphoric crowds chanting "Go Olympics, Go Beijing" cheered the Olympic flame through Tiananmen Square on Wednesday at the end of its troubled global relay.
Two days before the Games start, one of China's best-known sportsmen, 7ft 6 in basketball player Yao Ming, held the flame above a sea of beaming faces in the Beijing landmark best-known to the world for the crushing of 1989 student protests.
Children wore "I Love China" T-shirts and workers waved flags and pom-poms, while drums and cymbals reverberated around the square under a portrait of late revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.
China hopes such images of the torch's final passage through Beijing will banish memories of pro-free Tibet protests dogging the flame's journey through Paris, London and elsewhere.
But the party mood was marred for the Communist government when, according to state media, four foreigners were arrested for unraveling a "Free Tibet" banner from electricity poles near an Olympic venue.
The Games -- which have given China an unprecedented chance to showcase its modern face but also galvanized critics of its human rights record -- start on Friday. China's half-century rule in the Himalayan region of Tibet is the most contentious issues.
Demonstrations around the torch's international legs offended many Chinese, who see the Games as a moment of national pride for a nation some view as the emerging 21st century superpower.
"It's not just about the sport, it's about the image of China," said Xi Li, 29, one of thousands of officially organized well-wishers watching the torch near the entrance of the Forbidden City on the edge of Tiananmen Square.
"Chairman Mao would have been happy if he were here today!"
Unfortunately for organizers, the start of the flame's passage through Beijing took place under smog-filled skies.
Some $18 billion of cleanup measures have reduced contamination to safe levels, according to Olympics chiefs, but not produced the sunshine and blue skies that China still hopes may grace the August 8-24 Games.
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Last Edit: August 05, 2008, 10:37:53 pm by Bianca
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Bianca
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Re: Olympic Torch Arrives In Beijing
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August 05, 2008, 10:32:55 pm »
RUSSIAN DOPING
About 2 million cars have been taken off Beijing's roads and polluting factories have shut down for the Games' period.
Some anxious U.S. sportsmen arrived at the airport with face-masks on, though that drew disapproval from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which said it was an unnecessary measure.
Beijing has also spent a fortune on new buildings for the Games, including the extraordinary, steel-latticed Bird's Nest stadium that has become a symbol of the Olympics.
And no money has been spared either on security. A 100,000-strong force is on hand in Beijing to deal with any terrorism threats or anti-government protests.
Authorities intensified security this week after suspected Muslim separatists attacked a group of jogging policemen with homemade explosives, killing 16, in the far west.
Several million visitors are pouring into China to watch the 10,500 athletes. In an Olympics of unprecedented numbers, about 30,000 journalists will be at the Games, while hundreds of thousands of Chinese student volunteers are on every corner.
Doping scandals dominated the start of the Athens Olympics four years ago, and organizers are promising around 5,000 tests this time to deter or catch would-be cheats.
National Olympics committees have been catching some cases in advance, with about 20 people kicked off teams in recent weeks.
In the latest case, Russia said on Tuesday that race walker Vladimir Kanaikin, one of the favorites for gold in the 20km in Beijing, was suspended after failing a dope test.
Eleven athletes from Russia, which with the United States has dominated medal tables over the decades, have now been suspended after doping suspicions. Seven were thrown off the Beijing team.
"It is frustrating to find that that kind of planned cheating is going on," said Arne Ljungqvist, the IOC's medical chief.
As well as the smog in Beijing, organizers had another weather worry on Wednesday as Hong Kong -- the venue for Olympics equestrian events -- raised a storm warning.
Tropical storm Kammuri was close to the city, the Hong Kong Observatory said, but should ease by the weekend.
(Additional reporting by Chris Buckley)
(Writing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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