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Everest climb for Olympic torch April 26, 2007

The Olympic torch will reach the top of Mount Everest en route to the Beijing games, officials have confirmed.

The flame will be carried through 20 cities in five continents on its journey from Olympia in Greece.

But self-ruling Taiwan, seen by China as part of its territory, has rejected its inclusion on the route, seeing it as an attempt to downgrade its status. And the inclusion of Tibet, ruled by China since it invaded in 1950, is likely to provoke protests abroad.

Officials also unveiled the new Olympic torch, a red and silver design shaped like a Chinese scroll. The 72cm (28-inch) high torch is designed to withstand wind and rain, and is also eco-friendly, officials said.

  The torch will arrive in Beijing in time for the Olympics opening ceremony on 8 August next year.

At a ceremony in Beijing, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said the torch relay would “be a journey of harmony, friendship and respect to people of different nationalities races and creeds”.

Liu Qi, head of Beijing’s Olympic organising committee, said the route would “cover the longest distance and be the most inclusive” in Olympic history.

But officials in Taiwan were not happy that the planned route would have seen the torch visit Taipei followed by stops in Hong Kong and Macau. “This route is a domestic route that constitutes an attempt to downgrade our sovereignty,” said Tsai Chen-wei, the chairman of Taiwan’s Olympic Committee. “It is something that the government and people cannot accept.”

While many in Taiwan are said to be keen for the torch to come, some fear that if the route directly links the island with China it would appear to endorse Beijing’s view that Taiwan is part of its territory.

The highlight of the 137,000km (85,000-mile) journey is expected to be the torch’s planned ascent in May of the world’s highest mountain, Everest, which straddles the border between Tibet and Nepal. But its path through Tibet may trigger protests from critics of Beijing’s rule. China invaded Tibet in 1950 and its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, lives in exile in India.

Four US activists were arrested on Everest on Wednesday after unfurling a banner calling for Tibet’s independence as Chinese climbers were carrying out relay assessments. They were still believed to be in detention on Thursday. China said it was investigating the incident and warned foreign citizens against engaging in “activities concerning the sovereignty and unity of China”.

The flame will be lit on 25 March in Greece at the site of the ancient Olympics. It will then be carried by a series of athletes, celebrities and specially-chosen members of the public to Beijing.

Related Links > http://en.beijing2008.cn

Olympic Torch and Torch Relay route April 26, 2007

Beijing will unveil its Olympic Torch and Torch Relay route today at the Millennium Monument. The Torch is one of the primary symbols of the Olympic Games.

The lighting of the flame traces back to the beginning of historical Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, it originates from ancient Greece, where a fire is kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. Fire was reintroduced to the Olympics in 1928, and has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since.

The 1936 Berlin Games first featured the torch relay. The torch was made of a thin steel rod topped with a circular piece from which the flame rose.

There was more focus on appearance when it came to the 1968 Mexico Olympic torch.

The first liquid fuels were introduced at the 1972 Munich Games. Torches since that time have carried liquid fuels.

The 1992 Barcelona torch was more modern than before and also featured the use of an arrow to fire the flame, which impressed the world.

But it was the 2000 Sydney Olympics torch that had the most lightweight, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly design. And the torch’s underwater journey was shockingly impressive.

The 2004 Athens Olympics torch turned more attention to the soul, and it resembled an olive leaf, a symbol of Greece and of peace.

For each Olympics, a new flame is started in the ancient Olympic stadium in Olympia, Greece, using a parabolic mirror to focus the rays of the Sun. This flame begins its Olympic Torch Relay by touring Greece. The flame is normally taken to the country where the games will be held.

The opening ceremony is the end of a long journey for the Olympic torch. By the time it arrives in the stadium, it has traveled thousands of miles. It may have crossed oceans and deserts and traversed mountains. It may have been carried on planes, trains, bicycles. boats and other means of human conveyance. And it will have passed through the hands of thousands of different people around the globe.

The torch must be tested rigorously in all kinds of weather conditions. This testing of the torch represents the perseverance and spirit of the athletes, and is also the true meaning of the Olympic Games.