Crowds gather to show support for Olympic torch relay
10/4/2008 16:50
Under a sunny sky, thousands of people began gathering along the route of
the Olympic torch relay early this morning to show their support for the torch
run.
Supporters of China's role as host of the Games were upholding Chinese
national flags and displaying the Beijing Olympic mascot Fuwa on the city's
waterfront.
Dozens of women dressed in red performed a drum dance to
entertain people, drawing applauses from spectators. One dancer, Li Hua, told
Xinhua that they traveled about 5 hundred miles from Los Angeles to witness the
historic torch relay.
"This is great event not only for citizens in San
Francisco but also for all Chinese Americans and all people around the world,"
she said. "We want to do our bit to let the world know any attempt to disrupt
the torch relay is doomed to failure."
Richard Coile, a tourist from Georgia,
was transfixed as he watched the dance. He said he was excited to see all this
enthusiasm for the Beijing Olympic Games. "What is really happening is different
from what I read in the US media," he said. "I despise those who try to link
politics with sports. This is a ploy by politicians. Most Americans don't buy
their story."
Coile's friend, a middle-aged woman, said, "This is a great
day.Look at the cheering crowds. Even the weather extends its supoort. Just feel
the gentle breeze and the warmth of the sun rays."
To give the Olympic flame
a spectacular reception, tens of thousands of Chinese Americans will come out to
cheer the torch relay, said Siu Yuen Chung, Chairman of the Chinese American
Association of Commerce (CAAC).
For the special event, the CAAC has
distributed 10,000 T-shirts imprinted with the Olympic symbol to people across
the city, Chung told Xinhua, adding that the T-shirts are in short supply as so
many supporters want to wear them.
The CAAC, in cooperation with almost 200
Chinese American associations, will also organize a show of Taichi boxing by
hundreds of people at Justin Herman Plaza where the relay route will end.
The
scenes along the route appeared festive this morning, with no sign of protests.
"Everything is tranquil and peaceful," said a police officer standing on guard.
He said the police were ready to foil any disruption attempt.
Security was
being tightened around the city as officials mobilized for protests in response
to the Olympic torch's only North American stop on its journey to
Beijing.
"We are trying to accomplish two goals in San FrancisCo One is to
protect the right to free speech and the other is to ensure public safety, and
in San Francisco we are good at both of those things," said Nathan Ballard, a
spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom.
Mayor Newsom hinted on Tuesday that
security concerns could prompt a last-minute change. But a spokesman dismissed
rumors the relay would be canceled. Already, one runner who planned to carry the
torch dropped out because of safety concerns, officials said.
While anxiously
expecting the torch relay, many San Francisco citizens expressed dismay at
attemps to link the Olympic Games with politics.
Shirley Olivo, a 75-year-old
San Francisco native and grandmother of a Special Olympian, said carrying the
torch and the Olympics shouldn't really be about politics.
Xinhua
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