Cheering, flag-waving crowds in the Chinese capital, Beijing, watched the Olympic torch on the final leg of its global relay. Over three days more than 800 torch bearers are carrying the flame to city landmarks ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. One of China's best-known sportsmen, basketball star Yao Ming, carried the torch through Tiananmen Square.
Houston Rockets center Yao Ming took part in the Beijing relay
Four activists from the U.S. and Britain were arrested after unfurling banners close to the Olympic stadium. The torch has traveled 87,000 miles through six continents since it left Greece on March 24th. Overseas, the relay was marked by protests over China's human rights record and its policies in Tibet.
On August 5th, the flame passed through Sichuan province, which was devastated by an earthquake in May. A minute's silence was held in Guang'an city, honouring almost 70,000 people who were killed in the quake.
Lhasa relay
On June 21st, the Olympic torch was carried through the Tibetan provincial capital of Lhasa amid heavy security. The seven mile parade passed off smoothly, with the flame carried past apparently hand-picked spectators. BBC correspondent James Reynolds reported staggering security presence in the city, three months after violent protests broke out. Ethnic Tibetans clashed with security forces and Han Chinese in March in the biggest protests for two decades. Foreign journalists have been barred from Lhasa since the unrest.
On May 8th Chinese climbers bearing the Olympic flame reached the summit of Mt. Everest, the world's highest mountain. Chinese television showed the team of climbers, carrying special high-altitude torches, reaching the summit at 9:20am local time (9:20pm EDT on May 7th). Huddled in the snow they unfurled flags and cheered for the cameras. The team - made up of both Tibetans and Han Chinese - set off several hours before dawn from their camp at 8,300 meters.
Actress Zhang Ziyi was one of the torch bearers in Hainan
International protests turned the torch's celebratory tour of 20 countries into what analysts describe as a public-relations disaster for Beijing. Demonstrations in Athens, London, Paris and San Francisco (see below) have dominated media coverage of the relay. But the flame has made relatively peaceful progress through other cities, including Bangkok in Thailand and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
Torch protest in Japan
Olympic torch route around the world
Mary Kay Magistad on the continuing anger in China over the protests
(Apr 21):
San Francisco relay April 9th
Pro-Tibet demonstrators at San Francisco's Embarcadero
The only U.S. stage of the relay in San Francisco passed off amid confusion and tight security a week ago. Thousands of pro-Tibet and pro-Beijing demonstrators had gathered in San Francisco, prompting fears of violence. Officials sent the torch on a new route citing safety concerns. The planned waterfront closing ceremony in Justin Herman Plaza was moved because of security fears.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has told China he may not be able to attend the opening ceremony in August. Illinois Senator Barack Obama has urged President George W. Bush to consider a boycott of the opening of the Beijing Olympics unless China's rights record improves. The Democratic presidential hopeful made his call after a similar appeal by his rival, Hillary Clinton.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, Downing Street said in April. However, he will be at the closing ceremony when the Olympic baton will be passed to London. A spokeswoman said Mr Brown had never planned to attend the opening ceremony and was not boycotting the Games. The crackdown in Tibet is not the only issue prompting the protests - China's policies towards Sudan, Burma and members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement are also being opposed.
Mary Kay Magistad on the view from China (Apr 10):
Security in Paris was extremely tight, with some 3,000 police on duty, riding motorcycles, jogging or on skates. About 500 protesters were reported to be involved in the demonstrations, mainly near the Eiffel Tower. The torch had to put out several times and carried onto a bus, although the flame itself was kept alight in a safety lantern.
The tradition of the Olympic torch originated from ancient Greece, when states would observe a truce in the run up to the Olympic Games so that visitors could get there safely. The modern Olympics try to follow suit but politics have frequently got in the way and this year is no exception, with China's recent crackdown on protesters in Tibet causing calls for a boycott.
Alex Gallafent on Chinese guards and the history of the torch relay (Apr 8):
The start of the Olympic torch's journey around the world last month in Greece was accompanied with a protest. China condemned the protest over Tibet at the Olympic torch lighting ceremony. During the ceremony on March 24, campaigners broke through police lines before being dragged away.
Visiting 135 cities in 20 countries, covering 85,000 miles in 130 days. How does the Olympic flame remain burning, even on a plane? According to the strict traditions of the Olympic movement, and to mark the ancient rituals of the Games, the flame must be kept alive until the closing ceremony of the Games in Beijing in August.
A team of about 10 "flame attendants" is responsible for the 24-hour, safe passage of the flame, which has been ignited by the sun's rays on the ancient site of Olympia in Greece.
The torch, which is fuelled by propane, is used to carry the flame during each day's relays, when runners in the relay city carry it, mostly on foot. But there are several lanterns which are lit from the same source and they keep the flame alive at night or on aircraft when the torch is extinguished. For air travel, where open flames are not allowed, the flame burns in the enclosed lanterns, which act like miner's lamps.
My World: What do you think of the Olympic torch protests?
Zoe Corneli reported on San Francisco protests even before the torch arrived in California (Mar 24)
