Torch relay concludes in Canberra peacefully
24/4/2008 16:49
The 15th leg of the global Olympic flame journey was completed in Canberra
this noon as scheduled without major disruptions.
Ian Thorpe, five-time gold
medalist, ran as the last torch bearer and lighted 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.
Xinhua
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