Spirit, Vigor and Determination. Yes, that’s right. We are talking about the Olympic Flame which has been the time-tested emblem of mankind’s will power and aspirations galore. For to win is not everything. To play is all.
The Olympic Flame has once again begun its journey through the five continents and 21 cities around the world before arriving at China. Before every Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, and carried in a relay to the spectacular opening ceremony at the Games. In the lead up to the start of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on 8 August, the Olympic torch relay will be held in 21 international cities and every Chinese province, making it the longest ever.
The Olympic flame for the Beijing Games was lit in Olympia, Greece on 24 March 2008. With the theme of “Journey of Harmony” and the slogan of “Light the Passion, Share the Dream”, the Olympic flame of 2008 has traveled along the historic Silk Route, and visit 21 international cities, including London, on the five inhabited continents from April 2008 onwards.
The Olympic Torch 2008 is based on traditional scrolls and uses a traditional Chinese design known as "Lucky Cloud". The torch is designed to remain lit in 65 kilometer-an-hour winds, and in rain of up to 50 millimeters-an-hour. It is designed by a team from Lenovo Group. It is designed in reference to the traditional Chinese concept of the 5 elements that make up the entire universe.
The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) in the presence of the International Olympic Committee unveiled the beautiful Lenovo-designed Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch. It also declared Lenovo's role as a Worldwide Partner for the Olympic Torch Relay. As a Worldwide Partner, Lenovo will play a crucial role in supporting the progress of the torch around the world and throughout China, presenting an opportunity to introduce or reintroduce Lenovo in an all-new light. The Worldwide Partners for Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay are: Lenovo, Coca-Cola and Samsung. They are the highest tier sponsors for Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay and are granted a series of marketing rights and benefits related to the torch relay.
The Torch Relay dates back to ancient Olympia, Greece. The Olympic flame was bestowed by Apollo, the sun-god. It is the highest ideal of the Olympic spirit, representing hope and dreams, sunshine and happiness, friendship, peace and equality. Before the staging of the Olympic Games in ancient times, the Olympic flame was lit in front of the Temple of Hera in Olympia and the torch was carried through Greece to call on people to put down their weapons, stop the war and participate in the Olympic Games. The modern Olympic Games continue the tradition of Torch Relay, which symbolizes the bond between the ancient Games and the modern Olympic Games. This prelude to the Olympic Games is also instrumental in spreading the Olympic spirit, encouraging all people's participation in the Games and relaying the message of friendship and peace.
The relay, with the theme "Journey of Harmony", will last 130 days, hauling the torch 137,000 km (85,100 mi.) – the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay (though most of it is by air). The relay will begin on March 24, 2008, in Olympia, Greece. From there, it will travel across Greece to Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens, and then to Beijing, arriving on March 31. From Beijing, the torch will follow a route passing through every continent except Antarctica. The torch will visit cities on the Silk Route, symbolizing the unbreakable bond between China and the rest of the world. A total of 21,880 torchbearers will be selected from around the world by various organizations and entities.
The BOCOG also plans to carry the flame to the top of Mount Everest. In June 2007, construction had begun on a 108 km (67 mi) long "highway" scaling the Tibetan side of the mountain. The $19.7 million blacktop project will span from Tingri County of Xigazê Prefecture to the Everest Base Camp. The Olympic Torch is based on traditional scrolls and uses a traditional Chinese design known as the "Propitious Clouds" (祥云). The torch is designed to remain lit in 65 kilometer per hour winds, and in rain of up to 50 millimeters per hour.
On March 24, 2008, the Olympic Flame was ignited at Olympia, Greece, site of the Ancient Olympics. The High Priestess, Maria Nafpliotou, ignited the torch of the first torchbearer, a silver medalist of the 2004 Summer Olympics in taekwondo Alexandros Nikolaidis from Greece, who handed the flame over to the second torchbearer, Olympic champion in women's breaststroke Luo Xuejuan from China. The Olympic torch has been re-lit at an elaborate ceremony, on March 31, 2008, in Beijing that included President Hu Jintao, signaling the start of a round-the-world torch relay. It allowed the government a brief respite before the relay sets off on a problematic, month-long world tour. The grandiose relay is the longest in Olympic history and has the most torchbearers -- a sign of the vast attention lavished on the Games by Beijing, which hopes to use it to showcase China's rising economic and political power.
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay, with the participation of more than 20,000 Torchbearers, lasting 130 days, and over a distance of 137,000 km, will be remembered relay over the longest distance and widest geographical expanse, and involving the largest number of participants in the history of the modern Olympic Movement.
So set sail as the world travels with the Flame of Spirit and welcome the Beijing Olympics 2008 with zest!
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