Actress Jiang Xintian with the flame kindled from a concave mirror. (BOCOG) (ATR) Despite grey skies, a specialized torch caught fire in the concave mirror set in front of the iconic round tower of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing for the Paralympic torch lighting ceremony.
Actress Jiang Xintian passed the flame to Paralympic fencer Jin Jing, who held it for BOCOG president Liu Qi to light a torch, which was passed to Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, who lit the Games cauldron.
International Paralympic Committee president Philip Craven was in the audience.
"I think as I listened to [Executive Vice President of the China Disabled Persons Federation] Deng Pufang, I realized the impact that this will have on the people of China. He spoke about the Paralympic Torch Relay incorporating the theme “transcendence, integration and equality”, and it was inspiring to know that he meant every word of his speech," Craven writes in his blog.
One of the IPC's stated missions is to use sport and the Games to contribute to a better world for people with a disability, of whom there are 83 million in China, according to official statistics. In Beijing, the Chinese premier Wen Jiabao lights the cauldron. (BOCOG)Games have led to some accessibility improvements already, such as retrofitting old subway stations and using more accessible designs at new ones.
From Aug. 29, two separate flames start on two simultaneous torch relays. The "ancient China" relay begins with a visit to Xi'an, home of the Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warriors Museum. After a day in transit, the "modern China" route starts in Shenzhen, on the southeast coast near Hong Kong and proceeds through four more of China's eastern commercial centers.
The flames reunite in Beijing on Sept. 5, for a two-day tour ahead of the Games opening the next evening. The journeys will involve some 850 torchbearers altogether. The Temple of Heaven was closed to tourists during the lighting ceremony. (Xinhua)
Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan will be one of them. BOCOG invited representatives from each of the next Paralympic host cities to join the Beijing relay after the planned international Paralympic relay through Vancouver, London and Sochi was cancelled. The cut was attributed to the need to concentrate on earthquake relief in Sichuan.
More than 4,000 athletes from 148 countries will take part in the Sept. 6 to 17 Games.
Written by Maggie Lee
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