Source: Beijing 2008

05-07-2008 15:51

(BEIJING, May 6) -- When we started the recruitment process in 2006 for mountain climbers to take on the task of bringing the Olympic torch to the summit of Mt. Qomolangma, we had several criteria in mind for the ideal candidates, said Zhang Zhijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Mountaineering Association.

The ideal candidates must:

1. Be passionate about the Olympic Movement, be willing to make a contribution to the Beijing Olympics, be fearless, have a fighting spirit and team spirit;

2. Be strong and in healthy physical condition (with medical proof);

3. Be nominated by an organization that has had experience in mountain climbing;

4. Have climbed at least one mountain to an elevation of 6,000 meters or above.

The application process was not open to the public. Selected organizations and universities that have organized successful mountaineering expeditions in the past, including Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, China University of Geosciences, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, were invited to nominate candidates.

The climbers for the Mt. Qomolangma leg of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay were selected from among 70 candidates.

 

Editor:Zhao Yan