Montpellier, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The torch relay of the Paris Olympic Games came to the fifth stop on the 13th, the southern French city of Montpellier, and Liu Ruiqi, a Chinese entrepreneur and founder of Hengyuanxiang Group, participated in the relay as the 52nd torchbearer of the day, and he also became the first Chinese torchbearer in the torch relay of the Olympic Games.
"This year coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and I am very happy to have the honor to participate in the torch relay in France as a Chinese sports enthusiast, which is also a manifestation of the friendship between China and France." Liu Ruiqi said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency.
Although he is not an athlete, Liu Ruiqi has deep roots in the Olympic Movement, and is a "veteran" when it comes to Olympic marketing and commercial sponsorship.
According to him, the company has been sponsoring sporting events since the 80s. "In the process of continuous development, we want to go high and internationalize, and the Olympic Movement has a very strong influence in the world, so we continue to engage in various ways." Liu Ruiqi said.
In 2001, Beijing won the right to host the 29th Olympic Games, and Liu Ruiqi also accelerated the group's pace in Olympic-related sponsorship. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Hengyuanxiang has created dresses for the Chinese delegation for three consecutive Olympic Games, and has since provided formal wear and household items for the Beijing Winter Olympics. Since 2019, Hengyuanxiang has started its cooperation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to provide official formal wear for IOC staff.
"In the future, we will definitely insist on [sponsoring sports], no matter how big or small, we will maintain a good relationship with the Olympic Games for a long time," Liu Ruiqi said.
The Paris Olympics are not the first time Liu Ruiqi has been an Olympic torchbearer. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he took part in the torch relay on the Bund in Shanghai. But serving as a torchbearer in a foreign country, especially in France, has a special meaning for Liu Ruiqi.
"I have a special affection for France, and on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, the then French President Jacques Chirac awarded me the 'Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic'. I didn't know much about Montpellier before, but I felt really good when I arrived. Today, in the process of transmission, the surrounding French people are also very enthusiastic, maybe they see that only I am a Chinese face, and they also feel quite novel. I would be proud to tell them that I am from China. Liu Ruiqi said.
The staff of the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee Torch Relay told reporters that after this station, there will be many other torchbearers from China in the torch relay.