The Olympic Torch

The Olympic Flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece according to tradition on March 24, 2008. From March 24-29, the Torch Relay will travel across Greece, ending at the Panathinaiko Stadium, the site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. After the handover ceremony in the stadium, the Olympic Flame will arrive in Beijing on March 31, 2008. In Beijing, a ceremony will be held for the arrival of the flame into China and Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay will commence.

The cities along the route are:
Beijing; Almaty; Istanbul; St.Petersburg; London; Paris; San Francisco; Buenos Aires; Dar Es Salaam; Muscat; Islamabad; New Delhi; Bangkok; Kuala Lumpur; Jakarta; Canberra; Nagano; Seoul; Pyongyang; Ho Chi Minh City

The provinces and cities in China that will participate in the torch relay are:

• Hong Kong


• Macao


• Hainan Province (Sanya, Wuzhishan, Wanning, Haikou)


• Guangdong Province (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Huizhou, Shantou)


• Fujian Province (Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen, Longyan)


• Jiangxi Province (Ruijin, Jinggangshan, Nanchang)


• Zhejiang Province (Wenzhou, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Jiaxing)


• Shanghai


• Jiangsu Province (Suzhou, Nantong, Taizhou, Yangzhou, Nanjing)


• An'hui Province (Hefei, Huainan, Wuhu, Jixi, Huangshan)


• Hubei Province (Wuhan, Yichang, Jingzhou)


• Hunan Province (Yueyang, Changsha, Shaoshan)


• Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Guilin, Nanning, Baise)


• Yunnan Province (Kunming, Lijiang, Xamgyi' nyilha)


• Guizhou Province (Guiyang, Kaili, Zunyi)


• Chongqing


• Sichuang Province (Guang'an, Mianyang, Guanghan, Leshan, Zigong, Yibin, Chengdu)


• Tibet Autonomous Region (Shannan Diqu, Lhasa)


• Qinghai Province (Golmud, Qinghai Hu, Xining)


• Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Urumqi, Kashi, Shihezi, Changji)


• Gansu Province (Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Tianshui, Lanzhou)


• Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Zhongwei, Wuzhong, Yinchuan)


• Shaanxi Province (Yan'an, Yangling, Xianyang, Xi'an)


• Shanxi Province (Yuncheng, Pingyao, Taiyuan, Datong)


• Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Hohhot, Ordos, Baotou, Chifeng)


• Heilongjiang Province (Qiqihar, Daqing, Harbin)


• Jilin Province (Songyuan, Changchun, Jilin, Yanji)


• Liaoning Province (Shenyang, Benxi, Liaoyang, Anshan, Dalian)


• Shandong Province (Yantai, Weihai, Qingdao, Rizhao, Linyi, Qufu, Tai'an, Jinan)


• Henan Province (Shangqiu, Kaifeng, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Anyang)


• Hebei Province (Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao, Tangshan)


• Tianjin


• Beijing

Red highlight used for the few cities we have been to in China. The country is slightly larger in geography than the US.

One of the highlights of this leg will be the attempt to bring the Olympic Flame to the highest peak in the world Mt. Qomolangma. During the arrival ceremony for the flame into China on March 31, 2008, one of the lanterns with the Olympic Flame will be kept aside. The torchbearer team will then attempt to take the Flame to the highest peak on a day in May that presents the best climatic conditions for the ascent. Torch assault point: 8,300m above sea level

The torch will not pass through Taiwan as China had hoped. See China Daily news article: Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay can not pass through Taipei

High Priestess is selected for Olympic Torch lighting: High Priestess for Lighting Ceremony decided

As reported in China Daily