Torch Relay Begins For Winter Olympics

Beijing kicked off its Winter Olympics torch relay early on Wednesday, with Chinese basketball great and Olympian Yao Ming among the first to carry the flame on a journey that will last just three days due to Covid-19 curbs.

The relay will carry the flame past landmarks including the Great Wall. Because of Covid-19, only selected members of the public will witness the torch relay.

The February 4-20 Games are taking place inside a "closed loop" bubble that seals off athletes and other Olympics personnel from the public, and the events will only be attended by selected groups of people.

The flame, which was flown from Greece in October, will travel to competition zones, including Zhangjiakou in neighbouring Hebei province, before ending its journey with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at Friday's opening ceremony.

Wednesday's event began under clear blue skies in Beijing when Vice Premier Han Zheng lit a torch from a cauldron in the shape of traditional ritual vessel known as a zun, then handed it to 80-year-old Luo Zhihuan, who as a speed skater was China's first winter sports world champion.

More than 1,000 torch-bearers will participate in the relay. (Reuters)