On the afternoon of March 3, the beijing Winter Paralympic Torch Relay was held in the South Park of Aosen Park, and 21 torchbearers from the International Paralympic Committee and the China Disabled Persons' Federation once again witnessed the torch being lit on the central axis of the "City of Two Olympic Games".
The torch relay is 3 kilometers long, in a counterclockwise direction through the east gate of the South Park of the Olympic Forest Park, the north side of the Ojai Fitness Trail, and finally to the Olympic Declaration Square to collect the fire. This closed-loop relay will be consistent with the Winter Olympic Torch Relay, ignited at the landscape stone of the south gate of the South Gate of Aosen South Park, and closed in the Olympic Declaration Square, reflecting the concept of "two Olympic Games, equally wonderful".
At 3 p.m., the ignition ceremony was held on time. IPC Vice-President Duane Kahler and Medina Keyroni, member of the IPC Sports Committee, served as the first two torchbearers. Paralympic champion Martina Keroni from Italy took the torch and showed it to the media and began to run, followed by Duane Kahler in a wheelchair.
"I feel very honored to be a torchbearer, especially in Beijing, which is very significant." Duane Kahler shares his ties to Beijing. In 1994, he competed as a swimmer in Beijing, and in 2008 he led a New Zealand team to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. ”
Duane Kahler believes that sport is not only a platform for athletes to perform and show, but also an opportunity to show the world what a disability has achieved, and to show the public what an inclusive and barrier-free society looks like. "For China and Beijing, we have seen the changes that the 2008 Paralympic Games will bring. Friends with disabilities, like every ordinary person, integrate into society and participate in social interactions. ”
For the upcoming Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, Duane Kahler is full of expectations. "China will hold a spectacular opening ceremony, and the Chinese government, the organizing committee and all the public have done a lot of work to make the Paralympic Games to the current level." Duane Kahler shared his feelings in Beijing, "I took the torch and walked on the flat road, the hotel is also very easy to reach, the barrier-free facilities are well connected, and the whole streamline is complete. Athletes from all over the world are also experiencing the venues, and the Paralympic venues in Beijing are all great. ”
Graphic | Beijing Daily