| Host city | Beijing, China |
|---|---|
| Countries visited | China |
| Torchbearers | 900 |
| Theme | Transcendence, Integration, Sharing |
| Start date | August 28, 2008 |
| End date | September 6, 2008 |
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| Part of a series on |
| 2008 Summer Paralympics |
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Thetorch relay for the2008 Summer Paralympic Games was held between August 28 and September 6 in eleven cities, and also includedthe tomb of Yellow Emperor.
In 2007, theBeijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games announced the torch relay route, composed of three parts:
In July 2008, the Beijing Games' Organizing Committee announced that the planned four international torch relay cities and four national cities for the Paralympic Games had been cancelled. The Committee stated that the relay was being cancelled to enable the Chinese government to "focus on the rescue and relief work" following theSichuan earthquake.[2]
Despite the officially stated reason for the cancellation,The Guardian attributed it to China's wish to avoid "a repeat of the protests" which had occurred in a number of cities around the world during theOlympics torch relay.[3] Similarly,The Times wrote: "China has cancelled the international leg of the Paralympic torch relay, which was due to pass through London, in an apparent attempt to avoid similar protests to those that dogged the Olympic torch’s global tour."[4]Reuters reported simply: "China, whose Beijing Olympic torch relay was dogged by protest overseas, on Wednesday cancelled the international leg of the Paralympic torch relay, giving the devastating Sichuan earthquake as the reason."[5]
The relay started fromTiantan on August 28 and then divided to two parallel lines before coming together in Beijing:[6]
| Route | City | Date | Place | Start from | Ends at | Length(km) | Torchbearers(Disabled Torchbearers) | First Torchbearer | First Torchbearer's Title | Last Torchbearer | Last Torchbearer's Title | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Route of Ancient China | Xi'an | Aug 29, 2008 | On the city wall | Tower of East Gate | Barbicans of the South Gate | 3.1 | 70(11) | Zhang Hui | one of China's National Top Ten Disabled Athletes | Li Huimin | a disabled entrepreneur | [8] |
| Huhehaote | Aug 30, 2008 | Genghis Khan Square | Hohhot Stadium | 3.1 | 70 | Yang Zhimin | Chairman of the Disabled People Association of Inner Mongolia | Chen Guoyi | Disabled entrepreneur | [9] | ||
| Changsha | Aug 31, 2008 | Changsha Women's and Children's Center | Hunan Swimming Center | 3 | 70(13) | Zhu Weimin | Swimming Gold Medalist in1996 Summer Paralympics | Tan Yuehua | Disabled Police | [10] | ||
| Nanjing | Sep 2, 2008 | Boai Square,Zhongshan Tomb | Jinshuiqiao Square,Ming Xiao Tomb | 3 | 60(12) | Hou Jingjing | First wheelchair female doctor of china, vice professor ofNanjing Normal University | Zhou Zengfu | Coach ofParalympic Athletic | [11] | ||
| Luoyang | Sep 4, 2008 | Longmen Grotto | Longmen Grotto | Longmen Stone Square | 3 | 60(9) | Zhu Hongyan | WR holder and Paralympic Gold Medalist | Liu Zhengwei | Executive secretary of the Luoyang Disable Persons' Association | [12] | |
| The Route of Modern China | Shenzhen | Aug 30, 2008 | Mountain Lotus | Statue ofDeng Xiaoping | Baiyi Square | 3.1 | 70(20%±) | Liu Hong | 4th in Women's 20 km Walk inBeijing Olympic | Shen Jianping | Photographer with one arm | [13] |
| Wuhan | Aug 31, 2008 | Wuhan Economic and Technology Development Zone | Wuhan Sports Center Stadium | Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium | 3 | 60(10) | Cheng Yu | Bronze Medalist of Women's Single TT6 and Gold Medallist of Women's Team TT6 of1988 Summer Paralympics | Wen Qin | Athletic Gold Medallists ofFESPIC Games | [14] | |
| Shanghai | Sep 1, 2008 | Songjiang New City | Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade | Shanghai Sunshine Recover Center | 3 | 60(10) | Zhao Jihong | Athletic Gold Medallist at the1984 Summer Paralympics | Pang Jiaying | Swimming Silver Medalists and Bronze medalists of2008 Beijing Olympics | [15] | |
| Qingdao | Sep 2, 2008 | Square of theQingdao Olympic Sailing Center | May 4th Square | 4.25(1 km over the sea) | 70(20%) | Wu Chunmiao | Gold Medalist ofWomen's 200m T11 in2004 Athens Paralympics | Zhou Yafei | Bronze Medalists ofWomen's 4X100m Medley Relay in2008 Beijing Olympics | [16] | ||
| Dalian | Sep 3, 2008 | Xinghai Square | Dalian Forest Park | 3.8 | 70(14) | Li Yang | Chairman of the Dalian Disable Person's Association | Li Jinrui | Vice Chairman of CCP Dalian Committee | [17] | ||
| Beijing | Sep 5, 2008 | China Millennium Monument andSummer Palace | China Millennium Monument | 17 hole bridge ofSummer Palace(include a "之" Shape over sea relay) | 6.5 | 120(30%) | Wang Juan | fencer | Zhou Hua | President of Beijing East City District Special Education School | [18] | |
| Sep 6, 2008 | Chaoyang Park | Lihua Square | Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Field | 5.5 | 120(40) | Xu Yuansheng | Coach ofChina Wheelchair Basketball Team | Zhao Jihua | Former President of China National Disabled People Association | [19] | ||
Chinese athletes with disabilities carried the torch inBeijing National Stadium during the Games'Opening Ceremony.Jin Jing carried the torch into the stadium, before it was passed on to Paralympic gold medallistsWu Yunhu,Zhang Hongwei,Zhang Haidong,Sun Changting andHou Bin. Hou then pulled himself up on a rope to the top of the stadium to light the Paralympic flame.[20][21]
