Source: CCTV.com

05-07-2008 08:58

China has stepped up preparation for the Olympic flame's ascent of Mount Qomolangma. Team officials announced the squad assigned to carry the flame on Tuesday.

Team officials announced the squad assigned to carry the flame on Tuesday.

The 36-strong team includes 24 ethnic Tibetans, 10 Han Chinese, one from the Tu ethnic group and one from Tujia ethnic group. With an average age of around 30, the team will also see three women climbers - two Tibetans and one Han Chinese. The team will be headed by the well-known alpinist Wang Yongfeng.

The original Qomolangma mountaineering team was organized in November two years ago. Over 70 climbers from universities and the Tibetan  Mountaineering Guide School gathered separately in Beijing and the Tibet Autonomous Region. The final team was chosen based on the climbers' performance in last year's training and test-runs.