The team of climbers that will carry the Olympic torch to the summit of Mt Qomolangma was announced yesterday at a press conference at the mountain's media center, 5,000 m above sea level.

Zhang Zhijian, the spokesman for the Chinese Mountaineering Team, named the 36-strong group, which will include 24 ethnic Tibetans, 10 Hans, one person from the Tu ethnic group and one from the Tujia ethnic group.

"This well-organized team comprises experienced mountaineers and some university students with climbing experience, so I believe they will augment each other in every respect of the ascent," Zhang said.

The final 36 were selected from the Qomolangma Mountaineering Team, which was set up in November 2006.

It included more than 70 experienced climbers from Beijing and the Tibet autonomous region, all of whom had experience of scaling peaks of at least 6,500 m.

The climbers met up for the first time in March last year to take part in training.

The following May, 17 climbers took part in a test-run of the climb and the lighting of the lantern and torch.

After the dress rehearsal, the Chinese Mountaineering Team was set up and began its preparations in Beijing, Yunnan province and Tibet.

"The final 36 were picked on the basis of the climbers' performance in training and test runs," Zhang said.

"They must be physically strong, passionate and willing to make contributions to the Olympic movement."

The team will be headed by famed alpine climber Wang Yongfeng, Zhang said.

The team, which has an average age of just over 30, includes three women - two Tibetans and one Han.

"The snowfall over the past few days has had an impact on our schedule, but everything is under control," Zhang said.

"The trails and some tents have been destroyed, so the main job for the torch climbers is to repair the damage."

When asked when the climb would take place, Zhang said: "I don't want to be a fortune-teller. The mountaineers are ready, but we have to weigh up all the factors."

After two days of snow, the weather conditions in the Himalayas have been improving.

The team will need four to five days to reach the summit of the world's tallest peak, if all goes to plan. The torch relay for the Beijing Olympics has been billed as the most ambitious of all time, with the highlight set to be the ascent of Qomolangma. The torch has returned to the mainland at the beginning of May. The land-based relay will pause for a day when the mountain torch is taken to the summit.

Xinhua

(China Daily 05/07/2008 page5)