MT QOMOLANGMA BASE CAMP, Tibet - Mountaineers are eagerly awaiting the call to take the Olympic flame to the top of the world's highest peak and have expressed confidence they will succeed.
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Twin images show summit of Qomolangma in the Tibet autonomous region. [Xinhua]
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The Olympic torch to Qomolangma is part of the domestic leg of the relay for the Beijing Games.
"It (the ascent of Mt Qomolangma) is a once-in-lifetime chance for the Chinese climbers, as mountaineering is not a competitive sport listed in the Olympic family, so the ascent will serve as an opportunity to make our own contribution to the Olympics. I really consider it an honor," climber Guisang, who scaled the peak in 1990 and 1999, said.
"Mountaineering is a human challenge. Its purpose complies with that of the Olympics," she said.
The 51-year-old ethnic Tibetan, who retired from the Tibetan mountaineering team to start a new career as an instructor, is acting as an advisor to the team.
"It won't be a problem for the climbing team, because its members are experienced, and we have mapped out the logistics," Guisang said.
"If I have time, I will go to Beijing this summer to enjoy the Games."
The Chinese mountaineering team has scaled Mt Qomolangma more than 10 times since 1960.
The peak straddles the border between China and Nepal, and is honored as the "Mother Goddess" by ethnic Tibetans.
Liu Jian, deputy director of the Qomolangma media center, was confident of the torch relay's success.
"The Olympic flame is sacred and we will add meaning to the Olympic spirit by sending it atop the world's highest peak," Liu said. He scaled the mountain in 2003.
"It is a great challenge but the Chinese are a people who keep promises and this is no exception," Liu said.
Beijing promised in its bidding for the Games that the Olympic flame would be taken to the 8,844-m high mountain.
Liu, 46, will be a torchbearer in Sichuan province, his hometown.
"I believe the climbers are physically and mentally ready, and they will fulfill the mission," he said.
Sun Bin, 31, head of the Olympic Torch Relay Center Qomolangma Operations Team, climbed the peak with the team during a test-run of the torch last year. But he will not be taking part in the actual climb.
"I have no regrets," he said.
"As mountaineering is a collective effort, many people, including myself, are playing a part in it, although not in the actual climb.
"To have climbed the mountain last year was a huge honor, especially on a test mission for the journey of the Olympic torch," Sun said.
