Olympic flame could blaze through Taiwan
By Lei Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-08-17 05:50

The Olympic flame could blaze its trail across Taiwan as the island is considered for a leg of the 2008 Beijing Games' torch relay route, organizers said yesterday.

A Chinese girl picks flower in front of a Beijing Olympic Games poster at a park in Beijing August 8, 2005. [Reuters]

"Based on information we've got from Taiwan, most of the Taiwan people hope the Olympic torch can come to the island," said Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice-president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).

"We will take their hopes into careful consideration while drafting the (torch relay) route."

It is not the first time BOCOG has expressed the wish to include Taiwan in the torch-relay plan. In March, BOCOG President Liu Qi said the domestic torch relay route for the 2008 Games should include Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

He made the remark during a programme on China Central Television.

The final draft of the Olympic torch relay route will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for approval at the end of this year.

Besides the torch relay, organizing officials have also invited people in Taiwan to get involved in the 2008 Games as much as possible.

"The 2008 Olympic Games is not only for Beijingers, but for all the Chinese people," said Jiang.

"To involve as many Chinese people as possible is one of the criteria for hosting a successful Games."

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