The list of the torch bearers who will carry the 2008 Olympics Flame will be announced in the
coming weeks, Beijing organizers said on Thursday.
Speaking at a national mobilization meeting on the torch relay,
Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing
Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG), said that the whole
list of candidates for the torch bearers had been submitted by
various organizations to BOCOG and it was expected to be unveiled
by February.
Hundreds of thousands of people chased the 19,400 torchbearer
berths available for the relay on the Chinese mainland, all keen to
join in a historical relay that will see the flame travel an
unprecedented 137,000 kilometers around the world, culminating in
an awe-inspiring ascent over Mt. Qomolangma. Another 2,480
torchbearers will take part in the relay in overseas cities and
Hong Kong, and Macao.
The Olympic Torch Relay, called "Journey of Harmony", starts on
March 24 and ends on Aug. 8 when the Games open.
(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2007)