During the delivery ceremony for Athens Olympic flame in Beijing, some VIPs shared with reporters with People's Daily Online their excitement about the arrival and stay of the Athens Olympic flame in Beijing from June 8 to 9.

Olympic flame arrives in Beijing

Relay between civilizations

The historic arrival of Olympic flame, which is also the first time for Beijing to embrace Olympic torch, marks that Beijing's preparation for Olympic Games has entered a new stage, said Liu Jingmin, deputy mayor of Beijing municipality before the handover of the torch.

Giving a brief summary of his feeling about the torch relay, Liu said, that the torches journey from Athens to Beijing, is a metaphor for the two kinds of civilizations and two great cities uniting in Beijing.'

Liu also stressed the importance of doing well Beijing's own work in the present torch relay and future preparation for the Beijing Olympic Games, as well as efforts to make both of them successful.

It was to Liu, who is also executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympics (BOCOG), that the lantern carrying the Olympic flame was officially delivered, by Athens Olympic Ambassador Spiros Lambridis.

Citizens of Beijing cheer for the arrival of Olympic flame

Athens and Beijing to develop with mutual respect

Michael Tsakistos, Region Manager of Coca Cola Beverages Ltd. in Beijing took the interview by PD Online correspondent before the landing of "Zeus" on June 8.

The manager first regarded the flame delivery and the stay of the torch in Beijing a historic moment. It is a great start for Beijing and China to come closer to Olympic spirit, said the manager.

The Greek origin manager hailed the sharing between Athens and Beijing in solid civilizations. He said that the two ancient but modern cities should develop together with mutual respect.

Fascinated with the Great Wall the manager regarded that it accounts for the great country of China and offered his sincere wish for the success of Beijing's Olympic Games in 2008.

Coco Cola is co-sponsor with Samsung for the serial activities for Athens torch relay in Beijing.

Olympic flame arrives in Beijing

The Olympic flame arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for the fifth leg of a six-week global torch relay leading up to the Athens Games in August.

A small lantern carrying the flame arrived at the Beijing International Airport at 6:23 a.m. (Beijing time) aboard a Greek chartered jumbo jet painted in Olympic colors and dubbed "Zeus" for a two-day stay in the host city of the 2008 Games.

Athens Olympic ambassador Spriros Lambridis officially handed the latern to Liu Jingmin, executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Games (BOCOG).

The flame, which was lit in Ancient Olympia on March 25, was then carried to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall where a welcome ceremony was held and a documentary filmed.

A total of 50 children, aged between five to 11, painted a 36-meter long drawing with a theme of "welcome the Holy Fire to the Great Wall".

Steven J. McCarthy, international torch relay director for the 2004 Athens Olympics, said he was very delighted to see the Olympic flame glow on the Great Wall.

"It's incredible, and I'm very much looking forward to the torch relay tomorrow," said McCarthy.

The flame will start an eight-hour relay in Beijing on Wednesday, passing a host of symbolic sites, such as the Temple of Heaven, the Central Business District, hutongs and universities.

The Olympic flame embarked on a 78,000-kilometer (46,800-mile) journey across six continents and 33 cities when it left Greece on June 2. For the first time in history, the flame will visit Africa and South America.

The torch relay returns to Greece on July 9 for the second half of its domestic relay before the start of the Aug. 13-29 Olympics.

By People's Daily Online