Sochi Olympics torch relay to be longest one
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E-mail Xinhua, August 13, 2012
Organizers of the Sochi Olympics said the torch relay of the 2014 Winter games will be the longest one and vowed to bring the audience a splendid opening ceremony.
With the conclusion of the London Summer Olympic Games on Sunday, the world turned its head to the 2014 Winter Olympic host city of Sochi, a renowned Russian Black Sea resort.
Speaking on the closing day of the Summer Olympics, Dmitry Chernyshenko, President of the Sochi Olympics' steering committee, said the winter games will have "the longest national Olympic torch relay," involving "14,000 torch carriers who will go for over 56,000 km through all 83 Russian regions."
The torch relay will kick off on Oct. 7, 2013, when the Olympic Flame arrives in Russia from Athens, Chernyshenko told the Russian newspaper Kommersant daily.
Torch for the Winter games must withstand strong wind and low temperatures and thus differed a lot from that of the Summer games, Chernyshenko added.
The official was also confident Sochi will impress the world with a spectacular opening ceremony comparable to that of the London games.
Russia was good at massive cultural entertainment events, with an innovative team mulling over the concept of the Sochi opening ceremony, he said, adding that the main stadium will be prepared for "any creative fantasies."
"We don't conceal any secrets. Let's wait and see," Chernyshenko said.
