For the first time in Olympic history, a Chinese person will run the second leg of the torch relay in ancient Olympia, Greece, where the flame will be lit.

George Aidonis, the city’s mayor, said, ‘There will be a few changes to the torch relay in Olympia this year, as a Chinese person will run the second leg, carrying the torch from the gate of the ruins to the municipal government hall.’

The Olympic flame for the Beijing Games will be lit in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera at 12 noon on March 24.

The lighting ceremony of the torch ceremony will start with the ‘High Priestess’, played by Greek actress Maria Nafpliotou. She will then pass the torch to the first runner, a Greek athlete, who will carry it to the temple gateway and pass it over to the Chinese runner.

George Aidonis said, ‘This will be the first time a torchbearer from the Games’ host country will take the flame from a Greek athlete and run the second leg. The Chinese runner will be decided by the Chinese embassy in Greece and the Beijing Olympic organizing committee.’

The mayor said everything is in place, despite the fact the city is still trying to recover from a forest fire last year.

The mayor has participated in every lighting ceremony since 1978, and said he expects this year’s to be something special.

‘It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when the Olympic flame is lit. It is a deeply heartwarming experience. And seeing the flame lit for China — a country that has a long history and rich culture, just like Greece — will make the event even more special. The Olympic spirit will spread rapidly around the world.’
Source: China Daily

Qinhuangdao, the port city in north China’s Hebei province, is going all out to help ensure blue skies as a co-host of this summer’s Olympic Games. The local environmental protection bureau said that Qinhuangdao, 280 kilometers east of Beijing, has invested RMB20 billion (about $2.78 billion) in a major environmental protection drive with the aim to improve air quality for the August Olympics.

This includes 2,00 projects featuring air pollution control, industrial sewage recycling, city garbage treatment, development of environmentally-friendly tourism, water sources protection and afforestation.

The government ordered all desulfurization projects at major coal-fired power plants to be completed before July 1.

Local chemical plants and iron mines are now required to cut pollutants that might darken the Olympic skies and water. In addition, the city has set up an air-quality monitoring network focused on heavily-polluting businesses.

Ji Zhenhai, the provincial environmental protection bureau director said Hebei, the province that surrounds Beijing and Tianjin, has also pledged to spend about RMB21 billion on anti-pollution projects and environmental monitoring stations.

Businesses in heavily-polluting industries — power, iron and steel, chemicals and concrete — will have to cut production or even close if they fail to meet the emission standard during the Games.
Source: China View

News that Yao Ming is suffering a stress injury in his foot which will end his American NBA season has sent shock waves through China.

Yao is the face of the Beijing Olympics, the center of the Chinese sports world, and a national treasure. Even the thought that he may not recover in time to represent China at the Games has the country on edge.

The Chinese blogosphere was flooded with comments from worried fans and Yao supporters. ‘I would rather lose my job or girlfriend,’ read one blog, ‘than lose Yao Ming from the Olympics.’ Another blogger lamented, ‘This is the winter of Chinese basketball.’

At a Houston news conference, Yao Ming said, ‘If I cannot play in the Olympics for my country this time, it will be the biggest loss in my career to right now.’

ABC sports analyst Christine Brennan said, ‘Yao Ming in many ways is a little Johnny Appleseed and a little Tiger Woods and a little Michael Jordan. Put all that together and that’s what this man means to China.’

All the worry may end up being premature.

Doctors say Yao likely faces a three to four month recovery after surgery, which would give him time to recover for the Olympics.

Some have even suggested that the injury may be a blessing in disguise because Yao will have more time to rest before the Games than he would have had he finished the season with the Rockets.
Source: ABC News

London bus drivers are being asked to sign up for a three-month journey from Trafalgar Square to Beijing. In a scheme to celebrate cultural links between this year’s Olympic Games host city and London, host to the Games in 2012, an iconic red double-decker bus will set off on a three-month journey.

Leaving in June, the bus is expected to arrive in Beijing before the Olympic flag is handed over to London Mayor Ken Livingstone at the closing ceremony.

Eight drivers from London’s various bus operators are needed to make the trip which will cross Europe, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan before reaching China.

Not to rain on anyone’s parade but as London buses appear to have the greatest difficulty finding their way from Clapham to Balham — a distance of a few miles — this may be the journey too far.
Source: Shanghai Daily

The Olympics has caused the first mobile paper to be launched in China. Zhu Ling, Editor-in-Chief of China Daily, and Wang Jianzhou, Chairman of China Mobile (seen in our illustration) together launched China’s first English-Chinese mobile paper at a ceremony and press conference held in Beijing.

Jointly produced by China Daily and China Mobile, China Daily Mobile News sends English-Chinese news to users’ cell phones as multimedia messages through wireless technology.

China Daily Mobile News will allow visitors to experience China’s internationalization, technological advancements and improved English communication standards.

The China Daily newspaper group has a professional team of English-speaking staff reporters, correspondents, editors and foreign experts. And China Daily Mobile News presents the media information to users in English and Chinese.

Users of China Mobile Go Tone and M-Zone can subscribe by sending the message ‘CD’to 10658000 for RMB5 a month.

China Daily Mobile News will be sent to users twice a day, one in the morning and the other in the evening. Each multimedia package contains 10 to 20 pieces of news.
Source: China Daily