Olympic cauldron lit in Beijing as protesters face court in Athens
- Beijing receives the Olympic flame for 2022 Winter Games as it arrives on flight from Greece
- Activists who were held after disrupting the torch lighting ceremony in Athens are expected in court
State broadcaster CCTV reported that the cauldron was lit and would be displayed for the next three months before the torch relay – shortened to two days because of the pandemic – took place in February.
The report said the relay would incorporate digital elements and involve about 1,200 torchbearers along a route between Beijing and Zhangjiakou, about 220km (140 miles) northwest of the capital, where some of the Olympic events will take place.
About 2,900 athletes from 85 countries and territories will compete in the Games between February 4 and 20.
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China, IOC to ban overseas spectators from 2022 Olympic Winter Games
“Now we receive the flame again for the Beijing Winter Olympics,” Yu Zaiqing, deputy chairman of the Beijing 2022 organising committee, told CCTV in Greece on Monday. “The flame bearing the Olympic spirit will once again be relayed on both sides of the Great Wall, and shine the light of peace and friendship in China.”
