Full coverage: Officials brief on torch relay program

Officials brief on torch relay program

Date/Time: 3:00-4:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Venue: Conference Hall, Beijing Olympic Media Centre (9th Floor, No.55, Chaoyangmennei Street)

Hostess of the press conference Wang Hui

Wang Hui

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon! Welcome to the press conference by the media centre today. We'll talk about this topic which will draw great attention. Four days later, the torch will be lit in Olympia, Greece. And today, we're hosting this Press Conference on the Light the Passion Share the Dream Torch Relay of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Today we're honored to present Mr. Jiang Xiaoyu, Executive Vice President of BOCOG. We also have Mr. Qu Yingpu, spokesperson of the Olympic Torch Relay Center.

First Mr. Jiang Xiaoyu, Executive Vice President of BOCOG will brief you on the torch relay for the Beijing Games.

Mr. Jiang Xiaoyu, Executive Vice-President of BOCOG

Jiang Xiaoyu:

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Today is March 19 and on March 24 the torch will be lit in Olympia, Greece. Following six days relay in Greece, we will have the handover ceremony. The flame will arrive in Beijing, China on March 31, then we will have a grand welcome ceremony for this and we will have the lighting ceremony for torch relay in Beijing which will usher in the splendid celebration of the games. The torch relay is themed as "Journey of Harmony". Its slogan is Light the Passion Share the Dream.

The torch relay will cover 5 inhabited continents. We are highlighting Chinese peoples' aspiration for a harmonious world with lasting peace and universal prosperity. The torch relay is expected to convey the message of peace and harmony.

The torch relay will be divided into two parts: The first part is outside the mainland of China and the other one inside the mainland of China with participation of over 5,000 escort runners. It will be the longest torch relay in the history of the Olympic Games with the most participants. Millions of people will join, watch and experience this magnificent celebration of mankind.

At present, the organization of the torch relay is entering the final stage. Now I've go to preview the general plan of the torch relay and the issues of common interests.

First is our general plan for the Beijing Olympic torch relay. On March 24 in Olympia, Greece, a lighting ceremony will be held, after which a six day relay is to kick off in Greece.

The Olympic flame handover ceremony will be held in Athens on March 30. For this Mr Liu Qi, Member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee, Secretary of CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and President of BOCOG is to take part in the two events.

On March 31, the flame will arrive in Beijing and the grand ceremony will be held to welcome the flame and officially launch the torch relay of the 2008 Olympic Games. CPC and State leaders will attend the ceremony.

Now I'd like to brief you on the relay outside the mainland of China from April 1 to May 3. The torch will travel through 19 cities and Hong Kong and Macao outside the mainland of China. The torch relay official team will take the flame by the chartered plane supplied by Air China to the cities and regions. The relay outside the mainland of China will cover 97,000 km with the participation of more than 2,000. In total there will be 33 days.

The Olympic flame, after the relay outside the mainland of China, will arrive in Sanya city of Hainan Province on May 3rd. From May 4 onwards, BOCOG torch relay operation team will take the flame to 113 cities and areas in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, according to the pre-planned route by transport means such as airplane, railway and road. The flame is planned to stay in each province (autonomous region or municipality) for an average of three days. Relay will last for four days in each of Sichuan, Henan, Shandong and Guangdong provinces (where the population is over 80 million) and two days in Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing respectively. The flame will be back in Beijing on August 6 and relayed within the city for three days. On the evening of August 8, the flame will reach the main stadium of the Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony and light up the main cauldron, which will be on until the closing ceremony of the Games. The relay within the mainland of China is to last for 97 days with over 19,000 torchbearers, covering more than 40,000 km.