Torch and Torch Relay

The Beijing Olympic Torch has a very strong Chinese flavour. The design of the Torch owns much of its inspiration to the concept of "Lucky Cloud" which represents the thousand-year-old Chinese culture of harmony between man and nature. The paper scroll shape demonstrates one of the greatest inventions China had presented to the world. The application of "China red", a special shade of red which was first used on lacquerware in China`s Han Dynasty about 2000 years ago, distinguishes the Beijing Olympic torch from all the previous Games torches, with a contrast between red and silver colours that produces a striking visual effect.

The Torch is made of aluminium and of a curved surface form, with etching and anodising being
used during its production. The fuel is propane which is in accordance with environmental
guidelines.

General torch and torch relay information 2008
Description:	Curved form in the shape of a paper scroll, with lucky clouds graphic expressing harmony
Material:	Red and anodized aluminum
Fuel:
Torch measure:	Lenght: 72 cm Weight: 980 gr
Torches total:
Design by:	Designed by a team from Lenovo Group, public Company, Beijing China
Manufacturer:
Date of the torch relay:	24.03.2008 - 08.08.2008
Duration:	138 days
Numbers of runners:	about 21.880
Distance total:	about 137.000 km
Name of the last runner:	former Chinese gymnast Li Ning


The Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay will traverse the longest distance, cover the greatest area and include the largest number of people, according to plans released tonight during a grand ceremony held in the China Millennium Monument in Beijing by BOCOG, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of XXIX Olympiad. The planned route, revealed by Luo Gan, member of the standing committee of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee, and who was joined by International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, would last 130 days and travel 137,000 kilometers. And the Beijing 2008 Olympic torch design was unveiled by State Councilor and BOCOG first vice-president Chen Zhili, with IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Hein Verbruggen alongside. Validated by IOC, the Olympic Flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece according to tradition on March 25, 2008. From March 25 - 30, the Torch Relay will travel across Greece, ending at the Panathinaiko Stadium, the site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. After the handover ceremony in the stadium, the Olympic Flame will arrive in Beijing on March 31, 2008. In Beijing, a ceremony will be held for the arrival of the flame into China and Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay will commence. The torch is 72 centimetres high, weighs 985 grams and is made of aluminium. The torch is of a curved surface form, with etching and anodizing being used during its production. A torch can usually keep burning for approximately 15 minutes in conditions where the flame is 25 to 30 centimetres high in a windless environment. Source document: http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn The sites is not longer available

Torchbearer diploma

The Route

Validated by IOC, the Olympic Flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece according to tradition on March 25, 2008. From March 25-30, the Torch Relay will travel across Greece, ending at the Panathinaiko Stadium, the site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. After the handover ceremony in the stadium, the Olympic Flame will arrive in Beijing on March 31, 2008. In Beijing, a ceremony will be held for the arrival of the flame into China and Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay will commence.

The cities along the route are:

Beijing; Almaty; Istanbul; St.Petersburg; London; Paris; San Francisco; Buenos Aires; Dar Es Salaam; Muscat; Islamabad; Mumbai; Bangkok; Kuala Lumpur; Jakarta; Canberra; Nagano; Seoul; Pyongyang; Ho Chi Minh City; Taipei; Hong Kong; Macao; Hainan Province (Sanya, Wuzhishan, Wanning, Haikou); Guangdong Province (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Huizhou, Shantou); Fujian Province (Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen, Longyan); Jiangxi Province (Ruijin, Jinggangshan, Nanchang); Zhejiang Province (Wenzhou, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Jiaxing); Shanghai; Jiangsu Province (Suzhou, Nantong, Taizhou, Yangzhou, Nanjing); An'hui Province (Hefei, Huainan, Wuhu, Jixi, Huangshan); Hubei Province (Wuhan, Yichang, Jingzhou); Hunan Province (Yueyang, Changsha, Shaoshan); Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Guilin, Nanning, Baise); Yunnan Province (Kunming, Lijiang, Xamgyi' nyilha); Guizhou Province (Guiyang, Kaili, Zunyi); Chongqing; Sichuang Province (Guang'an, Mianyang, Guanghan, Leshan, Zigong, Yibin, Chengdu); Tibet Autonomous Region (Shannan Diqu, Lhasa); Qinghai Province (Golmud, Qinghai Hu, Xining); Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Urumqi, Kashi, Shihezi, Changji); Gansu Province (Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Tianshui, Lanzhou); Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Zhongwei, Wuzhong, Yinchuan); Shaanxi Province (Yan'an, Yangling, Xianyang, Xi'an); Shanxi Province (Yuncheng, Pingyao, Taiyuan, Datong); Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Hohhot, Ordos, Baotou, Chifeng); Heilongjiang Province (Qiqihar, Daqing, Harbin); Jilin Province (Songyuan, Changchun, Jilin, Yanji); Liaoning Province (Shenyang, Benxi, Liaoyang, Anshan, Dalian); Shandong Province (Yantai, Weihai, Qingdao, Rizhao, Linyi, Qufu, Tai'an, Jinan); Henan Province (Shangqiu, Kaifeng, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Anyang); Hebei Province (Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao, Tangshan); Tianjin; and Beijing.

One of the highlights of this leg will be the attempt to bring the Olympic Flame to the highest peak in the world Mt. Qomolangma. During the arrival ceremony for the flame into China on March 31, 2008, one of the lanterns with the Olympic Flame will be kept aside. The torchbearer team will then attempt to take the Flame to the highest peak on a day in May that presents the best climatic conditions for the ascent.

Olympic Games 2008 Beijing

29th Olympiad

CHINA

Sports: 34

Events: 302

National Teams: 204

Participants: 10,901

Torch and Torch Relay