Olympic Torch Relay Celebrations Scaled Back
Posted on Tuesday, May 13 @ 21:32:29 CEST by Raulken |
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By Maureen Fan BEIJING, May 13 -- The Olympic torch will be carried through quake-ravaged Sichuan province on schedule next month, but China is scaling back celebrations along the route out of respect for earthquake victims and will observe a minute of...
 By STEPHEN WADE The Associated Press Tuesday, May 13, 2008; 8:51 AM BEIJING -- The Olympic torch relay will be simplified, downscaled and open with a minute of silence Wednesday when a leg starts in the southeastern city of Ruijin, a symbolic gesture to thousands who died in a massive earthquake in central China. The announcement Tuesday by Beijing Olympic organizers was a reversal of their earlier indication that there would be no changes to the relay. This came in the face of mounting pressure on Chinese-language Web sites and blogs, which overwhelmingly favored some kind of moratorium _ either now or next month when the torch enters Sichuan province. More than 12,000 people are reported dead in Sichuan province, at the epicenter of the quake. The torch is due to arrive June 13 in the sprawling city of Chongqing and enter neighboring Sichuan two days later. "The torch relay will be based on the principle of security comes first," organizing committee spokesman Sun Wiede said. "We will reduce the scope of the torch relay. We will simplify the procedures. We will focus on simplicity." Sun said ceremony would be reduced with fewer speeches and less pomp. He said the somber relay would probably last until the torch reached the earthquake ravished areas, with people along relay routes asked to make donations to help quake victims. "For how long this goes on depends on the disaster relief work," Sun...
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