The Olympic Torch Relay for the Beijing Winter Olympics kicked off in the Chinese capital on Wednesday as the megalopolis prepares to kick off its Games despite a diplomatic boycott from several countries and concerns around the pandemic.
More than 1,000 people will take turns to carry the torch through the various venues that are to host competitions, in Beijing and the neighboring city of Zhangjiakou, before the opening ceremony on Friday evening.
The flame’s journey to China began in October at the ancient Greek site of Olympia, where the ceremony was disrupted by protesters accusing the country of human rights abuses.
Several Western countries, including the United States, Australia, Britain and Canada have announced a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics to denounce China’s human rights record, including the treatment of minorities. Muslims in Xinjiang and the repression of opponents in Hong Kong.
In terms of the pandemic, China, the only major world economy to pursue a “zero COVID” strategy, took no risks in the organization of its Olympic Games.
The event takes place in a strictly closed “bubble”, with no contact between the participants and the public, in order to prevent any infection from spreading to the general population.
The number of spectators who can watch the torch relay is going to be limited, with China encouraging its citizens to follow the event online rather than trying to catch a glimpse of the procession in person.
