BEIJING, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) — The Beijing 2022 Olympic flame will arrive in Beijing at 2:00 am on Thursday after its collection in Greece..
The torch will be transited after its arrival in Beijing and then moved to the Olympic Village by the end of January, according to Beijing 2022 organizers..
Due to COVID-19 concerns, the torch relay will be held in the closed loop management system and not open to the public..
The flame was lit at the ancient site of Olympia in Greece on Monday, marking the start of the countdown to the Games that are set to open on Feb. 4..
After the flame collection ceremony, Chinese gymnast Li Xiaopeng and Greek marathon runner Sofia Bekatorou took turns to be the first torchbearers..
The flame will then embark on a short international journey with the first stop in Athens before heading to Beijing..
Beijing 2022 will be the first Winter Olympics to be held after the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games were postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic..
The Beijing Games will also be the first to implement fully closed-loop management that will keep participants separated from the public to prevent the spread of the virus..
Beijing will become the first city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics after staging the 2008 Games..
The flame lighting ceremony in Greece followed the lighting of the cauldron at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 countdown clock in Tian’anmen Square on Monday..
At the event in Tian’anmen Square, the flame kindled from the torch of the 2008 Olympic Games was lit in the cauldron, symbolizing the continuity and heritage of the Olympic spirit..
The countdown clock was unveiled in Tian’anmen Square, which is adjacent to the Forbidden City, 30 days before the opening of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games..
The countdown clock features a traditional Chinese design, with its shape inspired by ancient Chinese jade. Its surface is covered with traditional lattice-shaped patterns..
The clock itself is 14 meters long, 7 meters high and 2.5 meters thick. The time display on the clock is 3.4 meters long and 1.5 meters high..
The clock will display the time remaining until the opening of the Olympic Winter Games. After the opening of the Games, it will continue to display the time remaining until the closing of the Games..
The clock will be a permanent fixture in Tian’anmen Square after the Games..
The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be held from February 4 to 20, while the Paralympic Winter Games will be held from March 4 to 13..
