BEIJING: China lit its Olympic flame today after the arrival of the ceremonial torch from Athens, ahead of Beijing’s hosting of the 2022 Winter Games in February.
Beijing will host the Winter Games from Feb 4 to Feb 20, becoming the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games, amid a Covid-19 pandemic that means overseas spectators will be excluded.
Beijing Communist Party chief Cai Qi lit a cauldron from a flame that left Athens on Oct 19 and travelled to Beijing in a red lantern designed in the likeness of a Han Dynasty tomb artifact, carried by torchbearers decked in white.
The Olympic flame will be on display at Beijing’s Olympic Park from today.