Olympic flame burns bright in the rain

KUALA LUMPUR: A crowd of over 100,000 people cheered wildly as Cheng Yonghua - all wet in a downpour - carried the Beijing Olympic Torch to the closing ceremony yesterday.

The Chinese ambassador to Malaysia then passed the flame to Tuanku Azlan Shah, Sultan of Perak.

"This is the first relay where it rained," said Qu Yingpu, spokesman for the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay. "We are happy to see the sacred flame burning in the rain."