Olympic torch to kick off in Hubei province of central China
30/5/2008 16:12
The Olympic torch relay in central China's Hubei province will kick off
tomorrow in Wuhan, Yichang, and Jingzhou city with shortened route, provincial
government official said at a press conference tomorrow.
A total of 624
torchbearers will take part in the three days relay, running a total distance of
58.3 kilometers, which was adjusted from 123 kilometers originally after the
earthquake struck southwestern China's Sichuan province.
Before the journey,
torchbearers will observe one-minute silence for those victims in the
earthquake. The ceremony and shows arranged in advance are also cancelled, said
Li Jianming, head of Hubei Province Sports Bureau.
The relay in Hubei will
start from Wuhan, and pass through the famous Yellow Crane Tower, the Ancient
Jingzhou City, and will tour the well-known Three Gorges Dam, the biggest in the
world across China's longgest Yangtze River.
As a cradle of athletic talents,
Hubei has cultivated 13 Olympic champions, in which eight will join in this
torch relay, including famous table tennis player Qiao Hong, diving queen Fu
Mingxia, winner of four Olympic gold medals, and Li Xiaoshuang in
gymnastics.
Chinese multi-world gymnastics champion Yang Wei will open the
relay as the first torchbearer of Wuhan leg tomorrow.
With a population of
more than eight million, Wuhan, the most
important city on the middle reaches
of the Yangtze, serves as the gateway to China's hinterlands and is nicknamed
the "thoroughfare to nine provinces".
After the relay in Hubei province, the
Olympic torch will carry on its journey in neighboring Hunan Province.
Xinhua
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