Updated：2008-04-24 From：Xinhuanet
CANBERRA, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The 15th leg of the global Olympic flame journey was completed Thursday noon as scheduled without major disruptions.

    Ian Thorpe, five-time gold medalist, runs as the last torch bearer and kindles the cauldron.

Ian Thorpe, five-time gold medalist, ran as the last torch bearer and lit the cauldron at 11:30 with loud cheers and applauses from the spectators at the Stage 88 in the Commonwealth Park in the downtown of the capital city.

During the torch relay, tens of thousands of spectators, many of them enthusiastic Chinese expatriates and students, had lined both sides of the streets, waited hours and followed the torch bearers along the route, chanting support for the Beijing Olympics.

Before the cauldron was extinguished, local and international dignitaries had praised the relay as successful and wonderful.

High security profile was in place to prevent major disruptions, with some 1,000 security personnel deployed to safeguard the historical event for Australia.

The whole ceremony lasted nearly three hours, opened with Chinese and Australian dances and songs.


Photo: Flame guard shows protective lantern


A flame guard proudly shows off the sacred flame's protective lantern. The Olympic torch relay was held in Canberra, Australia, on Thursday, April 24, 2008.

(Photo credit: Xinhua)


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Memory the 2008!

altogether now

Mizuki Noguchi, women's marathon gold medalist at the Athens Olympics kindles the cauldron at the end of the relay (Photo credit: Xinhua)

NAGANO, Japan, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The 16th leg Olympic Torch Relay, which took place in Nagano, Japan, concluded on Saturday at noon.

Mizuki Noguchi, women's marathon gold medalist at the Athens Olympics, was the final torchbearer of the day, lighting the cauldron at the end of the relay.

Hundreds of Chinese students and scholars in Japan celebrated the successful completion of the relay at Wakasato Park, south of the Nagano central railway station.

Tsunekazu Takeda, President of the Japanese Olympic Committee, Chiharu Igaya, Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee, Li Binghua, Executive Vice-President of Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Nagano Mayor Shoichi Washizawa and Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai attended the ceremony held in the park.


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   Overseas Chinese cheer for the Olympic torch relay in Seoul, South Korea,April 27, 2008. Seoul is the 17th stop of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay. (Photo credit: Xinhua))

SEOUL, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic torch relay in the South Korean capital of Seoul, the 17th leg of its global journey, ended here Sunday evening.

Seventy plus runners, including Lee Sei-Kee, chief of the China-South Korea Friendship Association, Heo Nam-Soo, mayor of Busan city, actresses Chang Nara, Kim Mi-Jung, movie director Kim Jong-Seok, and Olympic gold medalists Moon Dae-Sung, Ahn Hyun-Soo,Nam Eun-Young and Kim Soo-Nyung, participated in the 22-kilometer relay that covered Seoul's most famous landmarks and historical sites

After a four-hour relay, last runner Yoon Tae-Woong lit the cauldron amid a cheering crowd of thousands waving Chinese and South Korean national flags at the City Hall Plaza.

The flame will head for Pyongyang, capital of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea later Sunday.


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            Updated：2008-04-28 From：Xinhuanet

     Li Binghua, executive vice-president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG) and Chinese ambassador to DPRK Liu Xiaoming carry the lantern of the Flame when the Olymic flame arrives in Pyongyang on April 28. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

PYONGYANG, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The sacred flame of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on early Monday arrived at Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), for the 18th leg of its global torch relay.

The special chartered plane carrying the flame, which was ignited on March 24 in ancient Olympia of Greece, landed on the Sunan international airport at 00:28 a.m. local time from Seoul, capital of Republic of Korea.

The flight, directly flying from Seoul crossing the Yellow Sea, was a special arrangement.

Li Binghua, executive vice-president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), carried the lantern of the Flame and walked off the plane, receiving the welcome from Chinese ambassador to DPRK Liu Xiaoming.

Upon arrival at the airport, Li and the Flame received a warm welcome by Pak Hak Seon, Chairman of the National Olympic Committee of the DPRK, Pak Pyong Jong,, first vice-Chairman of the People's Committee of Pyongyang.


    Chinese in the DPRK welcome the arrival of the Olympic flame at the airport on April 28. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Almost 1,000 of full-dressed local residents and Chinese overseas students in the DPRK were greeting the Flame in the airport, cheering and raising banners of "warmly welcome Beijing Olympic Flame arriving in Pyongyang" and "wish the torch relay in Pyongyang a full success".

The Pyongyang leg of the torch relay, starting from the Tower of the Juche Idea and concluding at the Kim Il Sung Stadium, will start on Monday morning. 80 torchbearers will take part in the 20 kilometers relay.

Pyongyang is the 18th stop of the Beijing Olympic torch relay around the world. The Olympic Flame will go to 21 cities on five continents before its journey continues in the Chinese mainland.


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Asian realy begin...........

It will come back to China soon.

PYONGYANG, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic torch relay in Pyongyang, the 18th leg of the global tour, was completed at around 15:00, local time, as the last torch bearer kindled the Olympic cauldron in the Kim Il Sung Stadium.

Chong Song Ok, crowned at the 1999 world athletics championships and hailed as "Marathon Queen" by DPRK media, ran up to the cauldron in the Kim Il Sung Stadium. When she kindled the Olympic cauldron with the flame, the spectators broke out in applause.

Chong told Xinhua that the marathon is a symbol of the Olympic Games, and the Olympic torch relay has a special meaning for her as a former marathoner.

"Holding the last torch and running to the cauldron reminded me of making the final dash in the marathon," she said.

Tens of thousands of dressed up Koreans, Chinese businessmen and overseas students in the DPRK watched the ceremony, cheering and holding up banners that read "Congratulations to the Successful Completion of Olympic Torch Relay in Pyongyang!"; "Cheer for Beijing, Cheer for Pyongyang, Cheer for the Olympic Games"; "China-DPRK Friendship Passed on from Generation to Generation."

Kim Yong Il, premier of the DPRK, and Chang Ung, the DPRK representative of the International Olympic Committee, attended the closing ceremony.

The Olympic flame, which had stopped in 17 nations before arriving in Pyongyang early Monday morning, will leave for Ho Chi Minh City, the capital of Vietnam, this evening.

The head of the Beijing Olympic flame delegation, Li Binghua, who is an executive vice-president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), said that the torch relay in Pyongyang "made him extremely excited" and that he will "remember it forever."

The torch relay kicked off at around 10:15 a.m., local time, on the sunny Monday morning at the Tower of the Juche Idea.

Hundreds of thousands Pyongyang residents lined the streets to welcome the Olympic flame. Both sides of the route were decorated with banners and billboards that bore the Beijing Olympic torch relay logo as well as the slogan -- "Light the Passion Share the Dream."

Starting with former national soccer team player Pak Tu Ik, 80 torch bearers selected from different walks of life, including government officials, famous athletes, working people in different fields, overseas Koreans and Chinese in the DPRK, each ran a 20km route that covered the city's main streets and most of the landmarks.

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             Updated：2008-04-29 From：Xinhuanet




The plane carrying the Beijing Olympic flame landed Monday night at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Li Binghua(C), executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), held up the lantern of the flame before walking off the plane. (Photo credit: Xinhua)
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The plane carrying the Beijing Olympic flame landed Monday night at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for Tuesday's torch relay through the heart of the city.

This is the 19th leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay around the world, and also the first time that Vietnam will host an Olympic torch relay.

The special chartered plane touched down at the airport at 23:05 local time (1505 GMT) from Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, after a six hour flight.

Hoang Vinh Giang, vice chairman and general secretary of the Vietnam Olympic Committee and Chinese ambassador to Vietnam Hu Qianwen walked up to the plane to welcome the flame.

Then, Li Binghua, executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), who carried the lantern of the flame, walked off the plane accompanied by Giang and Hu.

Li and the flame received a warm welcome by the Chinese embassy staff and representatives of Chinese businesses and students in Vietnam.

Giang told Xinhua at the airport that the Olympic torch relay is the most important event in the history of Vietnam's sports, and top leaders of the country had ordered relative departments to prepare well for the torch relay to ensure complete success.

"To date, preparations are going on smoothly in general, and I believe the torch relay will be a great success," he said.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Olympic torch relay will start from an opera house in the city center and conclude at a stadium near the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, covering a route of 10-13 kilometers.

This is also the last  leg of the Olympic flame's global journey outside China. After completing the Ho Chi Minh City torch relay, the flame will head to Hong Kong

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[ Last edited by ASHLEYTUNG at 2008-4-29 14:25 ]

     The plane carrying the Beijing Olympic flame lands Monday night at Tan Son Nhat International Airport of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Li Binghua(C), executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), carries the lantern of the Flame before walking off the plane. (Photo credit: Xinhua)


HO CHI MINH CITY, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Smiles, cheers, screams, applauses everywhere. The Olympic flame underwent a night of great passion in the Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam on Tuesday.

Hundreds of thousands of people flocked into the street, waiting and enjoying the passing of Olympic flame. The Olympic "five-ring" flags, Vietnam flags and Chinese flags laid all over the sidewalk along the route

Nguyen Thi Thu Ha (R), vice mayor of Ho Chi Minh City, receives the torch from Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hu Qianwen (L), before running the opening leg of the torch relay in HO Chi Minh City, Vietnam, April 29, 2008.

Long queues of motorbikes squeezed the intersections longing for a glimpse of the torch relay. Waiters of restaurants suspended work to greet the relay. Thousands of motorists chased the relay to make photos and videos. It's the exact time to celebrate for the whole city. It seems no one would afford to miss the visit of Olympic flame.

The relay, the first hosted by Vietnam, traveled 13 kilometers (8 miles) from the opera house in the city center to the Seventh Military Zone Sports Stadium. Sixty torchbearers from all walks of life participated in the relay.

Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, the deputy mayor of Ho Chi Minh city, was the first torchbearer who received the torch from Hu Qianwen, Chinese ambassador to Vietnam, and showcased the flame to the crowd.

"Olympic Games is the most significant sports pageantry in the world. As a torchbearer in Ho Chi Minh city, it's evidently a great honor. But I also feel great responsibility to organize the event well until the latest moment," said Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, who is in charge of the organization.

"I hope we can take the advantage of the relay to demonstrate the love of sports in Vietnam, to show our friendship and hospitality. I also hope the arrival of Olympic flame can stimulate the Vietnamese team to turn out good results in the Beijing Games."

Nguyen Thi Thu Ha explained the relay itinerary and schedule. "In line with the overload of traffic in Ho Chi Minh City, we have to ponder a route ensuring a smooth progress of torch and minimizing the affection on the residents' life. The time from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. just shuns the traffic jam," she said.

Red flags, banners and signs welcoming the torch hung from lampposts along several avenues of the city. It's totally permeated for the city to have a day special and ardency.

The celebration ceremony was staged in the Military Stadium, which is not big enough to seat the large pack of enthusiastic spectators. A huge crowd gathered outside the Stadium until the finish of celebration.

The vice president of BOCOG Li Binghua delivered sincere thanks for the support and ebullience from the local residents and overseas Chinese.

"I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Vietnam people for their active support to the relay. And also the same thanks to the overseas Chinese living and studying here for their attention to the relay," said Li.

"The Olympic torch relay, with the best wishes from China, bridges the gap between different cultures and races, connecting friendships and cooperation."

Vietnam Olympic Committee president Nguyen Danh Thai carried the last torch and lighted the cauldron in the Stadium.

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam and is located near the Mekong Delta. The city center is situated on the banks of the Saigon River, 60 kilometers from the South China Sea and 1,760kilometers south of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

The metropolitan area, which consists of Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding towns, has more than 9 million people, making it the largest metropolitan area in Vietnam

Vietnam is the last international leg of the relay before the flame goes to Hong Kong on Wednesday.


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Yang Shu'an, Executive Vice-President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) shows the safety lantern after walking out of the Olympic chartered flight.

HONG KONG, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The chartered plane carrying the Beijing Olympic Flame landed at Hong Kong International Airport at 13:59 local time on Wednesday for Friday's torch relay through the city.


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Hong Kong's star cyclist Wong Kam-Po who ran as the last torch bearer, lighted the cauldron.

HONG KONG, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Olympic torch relay in Hong Kong concluded at 16:56 local time on Friday as Wong Kam Po, a world champion cyclist, lit the cauldron at the Golden Bauhinia Square on the southern coast of the Victorian Harbor.

As Wong, also the last torch bearer, ran into Golden Bauhinia Square, he was greeted by hundreds of people waving red flags and chanting support for Beijing Olympics.

"The torch relay in Hong Kong has successfully completed, but the Olympic spirit of friendship, peace and harmony will pass on forever," said Timothy Tsun-Ting Fok, president of Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, said at the closing ceremony.

"We expect a successful Beijing Olympic Games and a good performance of Chinese athletes including those from Hong Kong," said Fok, also the second from last torchbearer.

The 20th leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay started from the Hong Kong Cultural Center on the northern coast the Victorian Harbor at 10:28 am local time on Friday.

The passion during the first relay in Chinese territory was drastically lit up. Cheers could be heard all through the city as large crowds lined the route despite spells of drizzle. Flags, banners, placards of good-will were far and near.

One hundred and twenty torchbearers covered a 26-km route, passing by such landmarks as Tsing Ma Bridge, Sha Tin racecourse and the Avenue of Stars before the torch was ferried across the Victoria Harbor onto the Hong Kong Island.

Among the 120 torchbearers, there are top athletes, celebrities, officials, business tycoons, students and teachers.

Horses, dragon boats and a sightseeing ship were used to carry the Olympic flame during the torch relay.


Photo: Torchbearer Andy Lau runs with the flame


Torchbearer Andy Lau , Hong Kong singer and actor, runs with the torch during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay in Hong Kong, south China on May 2, 2008.

(Xinhua Photo)
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    Spectators wait for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay in Macao, south China, on May 3, 2008. (Photo credit: Xinhua/Zhou Lei)

MACAO, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Olympic torch relay in Macao concluded at 18:53 local time on Saturday as Leong Heng Teng, member of the Executive Council of the Macao government, lit the cauldron at the Fisherman's Wharf.

Starting from 15:50 p.m. the torch relay lasted for more than three hours. More than a thousand of audiences gathered at the performing ground of the Fisherman's Wharf, cheering and waiving national flags, regional flags, and Olympic flags. They all wished a successful relay of the Olympic torch after the Macao leg, and that the Olympic spirit of peace, friendship and improvement will be passed on to the next stop.

A total of 120 torchbearers together finishing the 27 kilometers relay. They started from Fisherman's Wharf, then went pass Golden Lotus Square, Ruins of St. Paul's, A-Ma Temple, Headquarters of the Macao Government, Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho, Sai Van Bridge, Macao Tower, Macao Cultural Center, and finally went back to the Fisherman's Wharf as the finishing point.

The relay also took place on Chinese dragon boats at Sai Van Lake, featuring the traditional Chinese culture


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SANYA, Hainan, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay kicked off here Sunday morning, the first leg on Chinese mainland.

At the Fire Phoenix Square of the Phoenix Island, China's short track speed skating Olympic champion Yang Yang became the first torchbearer.

"I felt both excited and nervous to be the first torchbearer in the Chinese mainland," said Yang, the first Chinese gold medalist in the Winter Olympic Games.

Yang won two gold medals in the women's 500m and 1,000m short track speed skating at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games in 2002 to end China's gold drought at the winter Olympics.

She has collected a total of 59 world titles in her career in the World Championships and World Cups before her retirement at the age of 30 in August, 2006.

A total of 208 torchbearers will run through the 30.09 km route that will end at the scenic spot of Tianya Haijiao, passing the Crown of Beauty Center, Haiyue Square of Sanya Gulf and Haihong Square.

This is the first leg of the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay in mainland China.

Under the schedule, the flame will go to Wuzhishan city on Monday, and arrive in Haikou, the capital city of Hainan Province on Tuesday.
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