(Badaling) The Olympic torch relay, which continues its journey through China, reached the Great Wall north of Beijing on Thursday, on the eve of the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Games.
Posted at 12:16 a.m.
More than 1,000 people began taking turns to carry the flame on Wednesday through the various sites that are to host competitions, in Beijing and the city of Zhangjiakou, before the opening ceremony on Friday evening at the Olympic Stadium, the famous “Nest of a bird”.
Under a frank winter sun, but freezing temperatures, the flame arrived Thursday morning in Badaling, one of the sections of the Great Wall closest to Beijing (75 km).
Hong Kong kungfu actor Jackie Chan, who had already taken part in the relay in 2008 during the Beijing Summer Olympics, again lifted the torch.
“I am very proud to carry the flame a second time,” said the movie star, evoking a “different feeling” this time.
The flame helps bring “love and peace to the world” and the relay offers the opportunity for “more people to experience Chinese culture through the Great Wall”, noted Jackie Chan.
The route of the flame started in Beijing on Wednesday.
The involvement of a Chinese soldier, involved in a deadly 2020 skirmish with India at a disputed border in the Himalayas, has sparked Indian anger.
The fight had caused the death of at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers.
The flame’s journey began in October at the ancient Greek site of Olympia. The ceremony there was disrupted by pro-Tibet protesters accusing the country of human rights abuses.
To denounce these attacks on fundamental rights, several countries, including the United States, do not send political figures to the Games, but their athletes will take part in the competitions.
Beijing is the first city to host both Summer and Winter Games, 14 years after the 2008 edition.