Quake zone leg of torch relay delayed
BEIJING, China (CNN) — Earthquake relief efforts have prompted Chinese officials to postpone the penultimate leg of the Olympic torch relay to Beijing, organizers said.
The two-day relay through Sichuan province, still reeling from the this month’s deadly 7.9-magnitude quake, will start August 3 — less than a week before the torch enters the opening ceremony in Beijing, according to a statement from the Beijing Olympic organizing committee.
The relay had been scheduled for June 15.
The relay resumed Thursday in Ningbo following a three-day suspension as China mourned victims of the massive earthquake.
A ceremony that included a minute of silence for the victims and the millions of people left homeless was held on a dock under a giant crane used to lift containers on ships at the seaport city, The Associated Press reported.
Organizers of the Beijing Summer Games had initially resisted altering the relay route, which corporate sponsor have paid millions of dollars to fund, AP said.
