IOC President and Olympic legends participate in torch relay in Olympic Village

PARIS( WNAM MONITORING): : Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and Chinese Olympic champions Lin Dan, Wu Jingyu and Zhang Hong participated in the torch relay in Olympic Village on Friday.
“For me, it is the most moving experience I ever made with the torch relay,” said Bach.
“In particular, after the two last ones which had to be without public, but here, in the middle of the heart of the games in the Olympic village, and to see all these athletes excited and getting ready for the games. Great moment!” he added.
The torch relay in the Olympic Village started outside the dining hall. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO was the first torchbearer.
At the half-way point, 10 members of IOC Athletes Commission and seven IOC Legends, including three Chinese Olympic champions and Spanish basketball star Paul Gasol, took over the flame and each of them had a unique interactive move with the torch.
Then the torch was handed over to President Bach.
During the relay, Olympic villagers chased and cheered for all the torchbearers. Emma Terho, the Athletes Commission Chair, concluded the relay which lasted about 45 minutes.
“Today is the opening day of Paris Olympic Games, which is also my daughter’s seventh birthday. I will bring my torchbearer souvenir to my daughter, expecting her to inherit the Olympic value and pass it on to the younger generation in future,” Wu Jingyu told Xinhua.
The opening ceremony of Paris Olympic Games is going to kick off on Friday night.
“We are so confident about the success of this Games, because we think we have been doing everything that can be done to prepare for the Olympic Games,” Bach said.
“We have discussed all the problems which could arise, and we have an answer to everything,” he added. SOURCE: XINHUA