Chinese President declares start of Beijing Olympic torch relay

2008-03-30 20:47:25 Xinhua English

Chinese President Hu Jintao lights a cauldron with the Olympic Torch during the "Welcome Ceremony for the Olympic Flame and the Launching Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay" at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, March 31, 2008. Hu officially announced the beginning of the Beijing Olympic torch relay on Monday. [Reuters]

Chinese President Hu Jintao hands the Olympic torch to Olympic hurdler and gold medallist Liu Xiang (L) during the "Welcome Ceremony for the Olympic Flame and the Launching Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay" at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, March 31, 2008. Hu officially announced the beginning of the Beijing Olympic torch relay on Monday. [Reuters]

Chinese President Hu Jintao (1st R) shakes hands with Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the Coordination Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), during a welcome ceremony for the Olympic flame and launching of the Beijing Olympic torch relay at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, on March 31, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) receives the torch from Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games, at the welcome ceremony for the Olympic flame and launching of the Beijing Olympic torch relay at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, on March 31, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), addresses the welcome ceremony for the Olympic flame and launching of the Beijing Olympic torch relay at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, on March 31, 2008.(Xinhua Photo)

BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao lit a cauldron at Beijing's Tiananmen Square with the Olympic torch Monday morning, marking the official start of the round-the-world relay.

The ceremony kicked off on the square at the heart of Beijing two hours after a specially chartered Air China plane carrying the flame from Greece touched down at about 9 a.m.

Vice President Xi Jinping, member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), addressed the ceremony.

Zhou Yongkang, member of the nine-man Political Bureau Standing Committee, and other CPC and state leaders attended the ceremony.

Also present was International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission chairman Hein Verbruggen, who addressed the ceremony on behalf of IOC president Jacques Rogge.

The flame is scheduled to depart from Beijing on Tuesday for the Kazakh city of Almaty, the first stop in its global tour of 135 cities.

The relay will cover 137,000 kilometers in 130 days before the flame finally arrives at the National Stadium in Beijing on Aug 8,2008 for the opening ceremony.

Chinese President declares start of Beijing Olympic torch relay

More News