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2008 Summer Paralympics torch relay

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2008 Summer Paralympics torch relay

The torch relay for the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games was held between August 28 and September 6 in eleven cities, and also included the tomb of Yellow Emperor.

Contents

Planned Route

In 2007, the BOCOG announced the torch relay route, composed of three parts:

  • The route of the Paralympics Games Host/Co-Host Cities, which includes Vancouver (the host city of the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games), London (the host city of the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games), Sochi (the host city of the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games) and Hong Kong (the co-host city of the 2008 Summer Paralympics);
  • The route of Modern China, which includes Beijing, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Wuhan, Shanghai, Qingdao, Dalian and Tianjin; and
  • The route of Ancient China, which includes Beijing, Huangdiling (The Tomb of Yellow Emperor), Xi'an, Hohhot, Urumuqi, Chengdu, Changsha, Nanjing and Luoyang.

    • Change of the route

    In June 2008, the Beijing Games' Organizing Committee announced that the planned four international torch relay cities and four national cities for the Paralympic Games had been cancelled. The Committee stated that the relay was being cancelled to enable the Chinese government to "focus on the rescue and relief work" following the Sichuan earthquake. The torch relay was held exclusively within China.

    Despite the officially stated reason for the cancellation, The Guardian attributed it to China's wish to avoid "a repeat of the protests" which had occurred in a number of cities around the world during the Olympics torch relay. Similarly, The Times wrote: "China has cancelled the international leg of the Paralympic torch relay, which was due to pass through London, in an apparent attempt to avoid similar protests to those that dogged the Olympic torch’s global tour." Reuters reported simply: "China, whose Beijing Olympic torch relay was dogged by protest overseas, on Wednesday cancelled the international leg of the Paralympic torch relay, giving the devastating Sichuan earthquake as the reason."

    The relay started from Tiantan on August 28 and then divided to two parallel lines before coming together in Beijing:

    The route of Modern China

    1. Beijing
    2. Shenzhen
    3. Wuhan
    4. Shanghai
    5. Qingdao
    6. Dalian
    7. Beijing

    The route of Ancient China

    1. Beijing
    2. Xi'an
    3. Hohhot
    4. Changsha
    5. Nanjing
    6. Luoyang
    7. Beijing

    Lighting

  • Date: August 28, 2008
  • Place: Tiantan, Beijing, China
  • Host and hostess in post-ceremony and pre-ceremony: Pu Cunxin, Yang Lan
  • Host of the ceremony: Guo Jinlong, Mayor of Beijing, Executive President of BOCOG
  • Speeches:
  • Deng Pufang, President of the Chinese Disabled Person's Association, Executive President of the BOCOG
  • Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee
  • Liu Qi, President of the BOCOG
  • Gather Flame: Jiang Xintian
  • Urn Holder: Jin Jing, a famous Paralympic athlete
  • Lighting the Flame: Liu Qi
  • Cauldron Lighter and Begin Announcer: Wen Jiabao, Premier of People's Republic of China

    • Final Relay in Main Stadium

    Chinese athletes with disabilities carried the torch in Beijing National Stadium during the Games' Opening Ceremony. Jin Jing carried the torch into the stadium, before it was passed on to Paralympic gold medallists Wu Yunhu, Zhang Hongwei, Zhang Haidong, Sun Changting and Hou Bin. Hou then pulled himself up on a rope to the top of the stadium to light the Paralympic flame.

    References

    2008 Summer Paralympics torch relay Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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