The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay route involved 21 countries where the Olympic torch was carried between its lighting in Greece in March 2008 and the Olympic opening ceremony in China's host city of Beijing in August 2008. The relay took place in four separate legs: in Greece, an international leg, in the special administrative regions of China (Hong Kong and Macau), and in mainland China.
The planned route originally included a stop in Taipei between Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong, but there was disagreement in Beijing and Taipei over language used to describe whether it was an international or a domestic part of the route. While the Olympic committees of China and Chinese Taipei reached initial consensus on the approach, the government of the Republic of China in Taiwan intervened, stating that this placement could be interpreted as placing Taiwan on the same level as Hong Kong and Macau, an implication it objected to. The Beijing Organizing Committee attempted to continue negotiation, but further disputes arose over the flag or the anthem of the Republic of China along the 24 km torch route in Taiwan. By the midnight deadline for concluding the negotiation on September 21, 2007, Taiwan authorities and mainland China were unable to come to terms with the issue of the Torch Relay. In the end, both sides of the Taiwan Strait decided to eliminate the Taipei leg.
Route in Greece
International and HK&Macau route International torch relay route Date Country (city) LengthThe Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Torch Relay Notable torchbearers # of torchbearers March 31 China (Beijing) Hu Jintao – paramount leader of PRCLiu Xiang – gold medalist hurdler April 2 (Almaty)(start)Medeo (finish)Astana Square 20 km Nursultan Nazarbaev – president of KazakhstanBakhtiyar Artayev – gold medalist weightlifterYermakhan Ibraimov – boxerYuriy Melnichenko – gold medalist wrestlerAnatoly Khrapaty – weightlifterVladimir Smirnov – the first Olympic champion for independent Kazakhstan cross-country skiingRoza Rymbaeva – singer Kazakhstan: Citius! Altius! Fortius! See also: Olympic Torch Relay Starts in Kazakhstan 80 April 3 (Istanbul)(start)Sultanahmet Square(finish)Taksim Square 20 km Tuğba Karademir – figure skaterTaner Sağır – champion weightlifter Meşaleyi Karademir taşıdı See also: See also: See also: 80 April 5 ()(start)Victory Square(finish)Palace Square 20 km Lyubov Yegorova – cross-country skiingViktor Zhdanovich – fencingVladimir Salnikov, Alexander Popov, Sergey Kopliakov, Andrey Krylov – gold medalist swimmerAlexander Dityatin – gold medalist artistic gymnasticsTatyana Kazankina – gold medalist runnerAnatoly Alyabyev – gold medalist biathlonEvgeni Plushenko, Tatiana Totmianina, Maxim Marinin, Anton Sikharulidze, Alexei Urmanov, Oksana Kazakova, Artur Dmitriev, Oleg Vasiliev – gold medalist figure skaterSvetlana Zhurova – speed skatingTamara Moskvina – figure skating coachFedor Emelianenko – mixed martial artistRobert Swan – polar explorersArtur Chilingarov – cosmonautValentina Tereshkova – astronautAlisa Freindlich – actressAndrei Arshavin – football player Olympic Torch route in Saint Petersburg with all torchbearers and lap definitions (.doc file) See also: Olympic Torch Will Be Carried By Drouz, Freindlich and Evgeni Plushenko See also: Олимпийский огонь несли 80 April 6 (London)(start)Wembley Stadium(finish)The O2 arena 48 km Kelly Holmes – gold medalist runnerDanny Crates – gold medalist Paralympic runnerSir Trevor McDonald – journalistKonnie Huq – TV PresenterVanessa Mae – classical musicianKevin Pietersen – cricketerTim Henman – retired tennis playerAmara Karan – actress 80 April 7 (Paris)(start)Eiffel Tower(finish)Stade Charléty originally 28 km Stéphane Diagana – gold medalist runnerDavid Douillet – gold medalist in judoMarie-José Pérec – gold medalist runnerJin Jing – Paralympic fencerThierry Henry – Soccer starTeddy Riner – gold medalist judokaArnaud Di Pasquale – tennis playerPi Hongyan – badminton playerMary Pierce – tennis player"La flamme olympique : le parcours heure par heure (du 06/04 au 07/04)", Nouvel Observateur, April 8, 2008 See also: "Paris cancels Olympic flame ceremony casting doubt over London's 2012 torch tour", The Times, April 8, 2008 See also: "Torch relay lights up home of father of modern Olympics" , official torch relay website, April 8, 2008 April 9 ()(start)AT&T Park(finish)San Francisco International Airport unannounced Lin Li – swimmer April 11 ()(start)Lola Mora amphitheater(finish)Buenos Aires Riding Club 13.8 km Carlos Espínola – windsurferGeorgina Bardach, Paola Suárez, Pablo Chacón – athletes 78 April 13 ()(start)A railway station of Dar es Salaam(finish)Tanzanian National Stadium 5 km John Stephen Akhwari – marathonerDorcus Inzikuru – steeplechaserAnna Tibaijuka – Undersecretary general of the United Nations"Olympic torch completes relay in Tanzania", Xinhua, April 13, 2008 80 April 14 (Muscat)(start)place roundabout Al Bustan(where lies the "Sohar" boat which visited China in 1981)(finish)Qurm Natural Park 20 km 80 April 16 (Islamabad) Samiullah Khan – field hockeyJahangir Khan – squash player"Islamabad stages Olympic flame relay in Sports Complex" , official torch relay website, April 16, 2008 65 April 17 ()(start)Raisina Hill(finish)India Gate 2.3 km Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Abhinav Bindra – sport shooter"Indian torchbearers vow to run for spirit of Olympics" , official torch relay website, April 16, 2008Aamir Khan – actor, director around 70 April 19 (Bangkok)(start)Yaowarat Road in Bangkok's Chinatown(finish)Royal Plaza 10 km Anant Siripasraporn – Deputy Permanent Secretary for Bangkok Metropolitan AdministrationManus Boonjumnong, Somluck Kamsing – gold medalist boxersUdomporn Polsak, Pawina Thongsuk – gold medalist weightlifters"Olympic flame sheds glee in 'City of Smile'" , official torch relay website, April 19, 2008 80 April 21 ()(start)Independence Square(finish)Petronas Twin Towers 16.5 km Cheah Soon Kit, Yap Kim Hock – retired badminton playerNicol David – squash player"Sacred flame sends off sparks in Malaysia" , official torch relay website, April 21, 2008 80 April 22 (Jakarta) 7 km; originally 20 km Taufik Hidayat, Susi Susanti, Alan Budikusuma – badminton player"Indonesian Torch Bearers from legendary athletes" , official torch relay website, April 20, 2008Fauzi Bowo – governor of Jakarta"Indonesian police break up pro-Tibet rally" , France 24, April 22, 2008 80 April 24 (Canberra)(start)Reconciliation Place(finish)Commonwealth Park 16 km Ian Thorpe, Jodie Henry, Libby Trickett, Matt Welsh, Adam Pine, Alice Mills, Petria Thomas – gold medalist swimmersRon Clarke – runnerMark Beretta – TV sports reporterTania Major – Aboriginal activistMegan Marcks – coxless pair rowerJonathon Welch – conductorRobert de Castella – gold medalist marathonerLee Kernaghan – singerFiona Stanley – epidemiologistMark Beretta – sports broadcasterPeter Sharp – Rugby league coachLouise Sauvage – Paralympic wheelchair racerJai Taurima – long jumperFiona Wood – director of Royal Perth Hospital, surgeonHeather McKay – squash player 80 April 26 (Nagano)(start)Small park in Nagano(finish)Wakasato Park 18.7 km Senichi Hoshino – baseball managerKosuke Kitajima – gold medalist swimmerMizuki Noguchi – gold medalist runnerAi Fukuhara – table tennis playerChina.org. "China.org." Big names carry Olympic torch through Nagano. Retrieved on July 6, 2008. 80 April 27 (Seoul)(start)Olympic Park(finish)City Hall Plaza 22 km Moon Dae-sung – gold medalist taekwondoKim Mi-jung – gold medalist judokaAhn Hyun-soo – gold medalist speed skaterNam Eun-young – gold medalist in handballKim Soo-nyung – gold medalist archerChina.org. "China.org." Olympic torch relay in Seoul. Retrieved on July 6, 2008.Bada – singer and musical actressJang Na-ra – singer and actress 70+ April 28 (Pyongyang)(start)Tower of Juche Idea(finish)Kim Il Sung Stadium 20 km Pak Doo-ik – football player 80 April 29 ()(start)Opera House(finish)Military Zone 7 Competition Hall 10 km 60
The opening relay route ceremony was held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.Info.gov.hk. "Info.gov.hk." Hong Kong to greet re-visit of Olympic flame with enthusiasm. Retrieved on April 3, 2008. The song "We are ready" was performed by Eason Chan, Hotcha, EO2 accompanied by Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Dance company, Gauido international golden eagle gymnastics team, and senior mixed choir of the Diocesan Girls' School and the Diocesan Boys' School.Youtube.com relay torch ceremonyI-Cable May 2, 2008 broadcast
Date City Length Notable torchbearers # of torchbearers May 2 Hong Kong(start)Hong Kong Cultural Centre(finish)Golden Bauhinia Square 26 km Lee Lai-shan – gold medalist in windsurfing Li Ching, Ko Lai-chak – table-tennis players Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Alex Fong, Kelly Chen, Leo Ku – singers Rebecca Chiu Wing-yin – squash player Leung Chun-ying – member of Executive Council Stephen Chan – general manager of TVB Victor Li Tzar-kuoi – managing director of Cheung Kong group Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong – managing director of Sun Hung Kai group Ng Ching-fai – principal of Hong Kong Baptist University Michael Cheng Lai-hin – footballer Koon Wai-chee, Wang Chen – badminton players Lee Ka-kit – vice chairman of Henderson Group Chu Ching-wu – president of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Liza Wang – actress, singer & chairperson of Cantonese Opera Performers Association Yip Wing-sie – music director of Hong Kong Sinfonietta Rita Fan – president of Legislative Council Timothy Fok – president of SFOC Wong Kam-po – gold medalist at Asian games in cycling 119 May 3 Macau(start and finish)Macau Fisherman's Wharf 19 kmoriginally 27 km 當局解釋改傳遞路線原因 , Macao Daily News Miriam Yeung – Hong Kong singerStanley Ho – casino tycoon. 120
Hong Kong and Macau gallery
Route in mainland China