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Article: World athletes hail torch relay as flame is lit up in Ancient Olympia
- Article from:
- Xinhua News Agency
- Article date:
- March 24, 2008
CopyrightCopyright 2008 Xinhua News Agency. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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World athletes hail torch relay as flame is lit up in Ancient
Olympia
BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- World athletes hailed the torch
relay of the Beijing Olympic Games as the flame was lit up in
Ancient Olympia and started its international tour on Monday.
The Beijing Olympics flame was lit in an official ceremony at the
birthplace of the ancient Olympics.
The ceremony launches the Olympic torch relay that marks the
countdown for each Games, and the Beijing Games relay is the longest
and most ambitious ever planned, lasting 130 days and covering
137,000 kilometers (85,000 miles) worldwide.
Kosuke Kitajima, Japan's double Olympic breaststroke champion and
former world record holder, said ...