OLYMPICS/ Spotlight
Special Olympics torch relay final leg kicks off in Beijing
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-09-26 10:53
BEIJING -- The torch relay of the 2007 Special Olympics kicked off its final leg in China Tuesday evening.
Wu Guanzheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, ignited the flame at a ceremony at the foot of the Great Wall and declared open of the Law Enforcement Torch Run in China.
The torch will then pass through Beijing, Harbin, Dalian, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, Guangzhou, Jiaxing, Wenzhou, Nanjing, Hong Kong and Macao before the Special Olympics opens in Shanghai on October 2.
Escorted by Special Olympics athletes and police officers, the Flame of Hope had traveled through Greece, Egypt, Britain, the United States, South Korea, Japan and Australia after it was ignited in Athens, Greece, on June 29.
The Special Olympics, which will take place in Shanghai from October 2-11, will bring together some 10,000 athletes and trainers from more than 160 countries and regions.
The Special Olympics were established in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver to provide children and adults with intellectual disabilities with the opportunity to be trained and take part in Olympic sporting events.
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