{"id":402610,"date":"2022-02-02T12:06:21","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T09:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/shortened-olympic-torch-relay-starts-for-beijing-olympic-games\/"},"modified":"2022-02-02T12:06:21","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T09:06:21","slug":"shortened-olympic-torch-relay-starts-for-beijing-olympic-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/shortened-olympic-torch-relay-starts-for-beijing-olympic-games\/","title":{"rendered":"#Shortened Olympic torch relay starts for Beijing Olympic Games"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#Shortened Olympic torch relay starts for Beijing Olympic <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Game<\/a>s<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>BEIJING \u2014 The three-day torch relay for the Beijing Olympics, shortened considerably because of concerns about the coronavirus, started Wednesday with an 80-year-old former speedskater carrying the flame.<\/p>\n<p>The relay opened at the Olympic Foreign Park. Luo Zhihuan, the country\u2019s first internationally competitive speedskater, ran the first leg.<\/p>\n<p>The torch will be carried through the three Olympics zones, starting with downtown Beijing before heading to Yanqing district and finally Zhangjiakou in neighboring Hebei Province.<\/p>\n<p>The Beijing Games have already been impacted on a scale similar to that experienced by Tokyo during last year\u2019s Summer Olympics. China says only selected spectators will be allowed to attend events, and Olympic athletes, officials, staff and journalists are required to stay within a bubble that keeps them from contact with the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> public.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing, with its 20 million residents, has experienced only a handful of COVID-19 cases and reported just two new ones on Wednesday. However, in keeping with China\u2019s \u201czero tolerance\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach to the pandemic, strict rules require lockdowns and mass testing when any real or suspected case is discovered.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/olympics-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng lights the torch before the start of the torch relay for the 2022 Winter Olympics at the Olympic Forest Park on Feb. 2, 2022. \" class=\"wp-image-21059357\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/olympics-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/olympics-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/olympics-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng lights the torch before the start of the torch relay for the 2022 Winter Olympics at the Olympic Forest Park on Feb. 2, 2022. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The truncated program seemed to have little effect on Luo, who after receiving the torch from Vice Premier Han Zheng said it was the realization of decades-long aspiration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve never participated in the Winter Olympics, so I had hoped our country could host the Winter Olympics and I had the dream for nearly 60 years,\u201d said Luo, wearing a red and white jacket marked with No. 1. \u201cToday my dream has come true \u2026 How happy I am!\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>The opening of the Beijing Games comes only days after the start of the Lunar New Year holiday, China\u2019s biggest annual celebration when millions traditionally <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> to their hometowns for family reunions. For the second straight year, the government has advised those living away from home to stay put, and train and plane travel has been curtailed.<\/p>\n<p>Participants in the torch relay have undergone health screenings and have been carefully monitored, starting from two weeks before the event.<\/p>\n<p>Others among the 135 torchbearers heading out Wednesday were Jing Haipeng, captain of the Chinese Astronaut Corps, Ye Peijian, a 77-year-old consultant to China\u2019s lunar exploration program, former NBA player Yao Ming, and Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, who will direct Friday\u2019s opening ceremony at the Bird\u2019s Nest.<\/p>\n<p>The scaled-down torch relay is a far cry from 2008, when Beijing sent the Olympic flame on a global journey ahead of hosting that year\u2019s Summer Games. The relay drew protesters against China\u2019s human rights violations and policies in Tibet, Xinjiang and elsewhere, leading to violent confrontations and the cancellation of some overseas stages.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/olympics-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Luo Zhihuan runs with the torch during the 2022 Winter Olympics Torch Relay at the Olympic Forest Park in Beijing on Feb. 2, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-21059359\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/olympics-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/olympics-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/olympics-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Luo Zhihuan runs with the torch during the 2022 Winter Olympics Torch Relay at the Olympic Forest Park in Beijing on Feb. 2, 2022.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Winter Games have been beset by similar political controversies, alongside medical considerations.<\/p>\n<p>Six weeks ago, the United States, Britain and several allies said they would not send dignitaries to attend the Beijing Games as a protest against human rights abuses by the Communist Party regime.<\/p>\n<p>Athletes have been threatened by the organizing committee with \u201ccertain punishments\u201d for saying or doing anything that would offend their Chinese hosts, while several delegations urged anyone headed to Beijing to take \u201cburner\u201d phones instead of their personal devices because of concerns their personal information could be compromised.<\/p>\n<p>The National Hockey League cited uncertainty caused by the pandemic to hold back all of its players from the Olympic tournament. And American broadcaster NBC said it won\u2019t be sending announcing teams to China, citing the same virus concerns raised when the network pulled most of its reporters from the Tokyo Games.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/02\/02\/shortened-olympic-torch-relay-starts-for-beijing-olympic-games\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Shortened Olympic torch relay starts for Beijing Olympic Games&#8221; BEIJING \u2014 The three-day torch relay for the Beijing Olympics, shortened considerably because of concerns about the coronavirus, started Wednesday with an 80-year-old former speedskater carrying the flame. The relay opened at the Olympic Foreign Park. Luo Zhihuan, the country\u2019s first internationally competitive speedskater, ran the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":402611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/olympics-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[125341,97628,4973],"class_list":["post-402610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-2-2-22","tag-2022-olympics","tag-china"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}