Olympic flame arrives in India

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 04-17-2008 11:45

The 11th leg of the global torch relay for the upcoming Beijing Olympics is scheduled to start in New Delhi on Thursday afternoon. The Olympic flame is now in the city ahead of the symbolic run.

Jiang Xiaoyu (L in front), executive vice president of the  Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games  (BOCOG), displays the lantern which holds the Olympic flame  together with Indian Olympic Association President Suresh  Kalmadi (R in front) upon arrival in New Delhi, capital of  India, April 17, 2008. New Delhi is the 11th leg of the 2008  Beijing Olympic Games torch relay global tour outside the  Chinese mainland.(Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)

The Olympic flame was flown into the Indian capital New Delhi from Islamabad, Pakistan, early Thursday morning.

Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee Executive Vice-president, Jiang Xiaoyu, held the specially-designed lantern that carries the flame, along with President of the Indian Olympic Association, Suresh Kalmandi.

Kalmandi was at the airport to welcome the arrival of the sacred flame. Also among the cheering crowd were dozens of Chinese businesspeople and diplomats in India, including ambassador Zhang Yan.

They expressed their best wishes for the Beijing Games.

Seventy runners are set to take part in the nearly three-kilometer relay in New Delhi.

Torchbearers include athletes, Bollywood stars and politicians.