Olympics 2008 Torch Relay

The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. It immortalizes the theft of fire from the Greek God - Zeus by Prometheus. The origin of Olympic Torch lie in ancient Greece, when a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics.

The fire was reintroduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Since than the torch has been an integral part of the modern Olympic Games. The torch relay of modern times that transports the flame from Greece to the various designated sites of the games had no ancient precedent and was introduced by Carl Diem, with the support of Joseph Goebbels, at the controversial Berlin Olympics as a means to promote Nazi ideology.

The Olympic Torch is ignited several months before the opening celebration of the Olympic Games at the site of the ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece. Eleven women, representing the roles of priestesses, perform a ceremony in which the torch is kindled by the light of the Sun, its rays concentrated by a parabolic mirror.

The Torch Relay ends on the day of the opening ceremony in the central stadium of the Olympic Games. The final carrier of the torch is often kept secret until the last moment and is usually a sports celebrity of the host country. The final bearer of the torch runs towards the cauldron, often placed at the top of a grand staircase and then uses the torch to start the flame in the stadium. After being lit, the flame continues to burn throughout the Olympics.

The 2008 Summer Olympics Torch Relay will run until August 8, 2008, prior to the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. The relay will last 130 days and carry the torch 137,000 km - the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay since the National Socialist German Workers' Party started the tradition at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games estimated that about 22,000 torchbearers will participate in the Beijing 2008 Olympics Torch Relay.  The theme of the torch relay is the ‘Journey of Harmony' and the slogan is ‘Light the Passion, Share the Dream'. 

The Olympic flame was on March 25, 2008 in Olympia, Greece and traveled across Greece to end at the Panathinaiko Stadium, where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896.  On March 31, 2008, the torch arrived in Beijing, where a ceremony was held and the torch relay commenced.

The "Lucky Cloud" design of the Olympic Torch features a traditional scroll design which captures the Chinese heritage as well as many technological advances and environmentally-friendly features.  All of these features combined create a sophisticated torch capable of withstanding strong winds, rain, discoloration and corrosion. To top it off, the torch is made of recyclable material and the propane fuel even meets environmental requirements. The torch is about 28 inches in length and weighs a little over 2 pounds.

The cities covered by Olympics 2008 Torch 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); Anhui 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.

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