Digital Desk: On Thursday, the Olympic torch relay entered its second day atop the Great Wall of China, with actor Jackie Chan and Chinese Olympic medalists among those taking turns carrying the flame over a three-day itinerary.
The torch relay for the Winter Olympic games, which will take place from February 4 to 20, is far smaller than the globe-spanning relay for Beijing's 2008 Summer Games, which was disrupted by protesters.
Ma Long, an Olympic table tennis gold medalist, and Wu Jingyu, a two-time gold medalist in taekwondo, were among those who carried the red-and-silver spiral flame through the Badaling section of the Great Wall, where the temperature was 11 degrees Celsius on Thursday morning.
Chan, 67, an action and comedy film actor known for his ardent support of the Beijing government, was given the Chinese name Chen Gangsheng in the official news statement.
"At 4 a.m I awoke. I'm competing in my fourth Olympic Games. I'm overjoyed. I'm also shivering! "after his run along the wall, Chan told reporters.
Badaling, the most popular tourist portion of the wall, is located 70 kilometres (45 miles) northwest of central Beijing in the Yanqing district, close to the Olympic sliding and Alpine skiing sites. It was constructed during the Ming period, approximately 1500 A.D.
The torch will be carried to Zhangjiakou in neighbouring Hebei province later on Thursday, where most of the Olympic snow events will be held. At Friday's opening ceremony, the Olympic cauldron will be lit, bringing the relay to a close.
Because of covid-19, the Games will be held in a "closed loop," with participants and other Olympic personnel kept away from the general public, and only a limited, select audience will be present.
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