The Olympic torch relay saw Leehom Wang and Yung-Ming Chou representing Taiwan as invited participants

Written/Compiled and reported by Li Xinyi of MOOK Travel Life Network

The 2012 London Olympic torch has completed its handover ceremony in Greece and arrived in the UK on May 18, embarking on a 70-day relay that will traverse 1,021 cities and towns, with a total of 8,000 people participating in this sacred relay. On the Taiwanese side, three distinguished individuals have been invited to carry the torch: on June 23, singer Leehom Wang and HTC Vice President Shih Mu-biao will carry the torch, and on July 6, HTC CEO Peter Chou will take over.

The Olympics originated in Greece, while the Paralympics originated in the UK. The 2012 London Paralympics has entered its 100-day countdown celebration. The Paralympic Games, which originated from the sports events at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in the UK in 1948, are being held in the UK for the first time this year. What began as modest sporting events to aid the rehabilitation of war veterans with spinal injuries has now seen remarkable growth. In 2012, it is expected that two million people will come to watch the competitions, with 4,200 Paralympic athletes participating in 20 different sports over 11 days.

British embassies and high commissions around the world are also celebrating this 100-day milestone. In Botswana, Africa, the British High Commission organized a 50-kilometer cycling race and a 100-meter sprint, inviting Paralympic athletes to join rural communities in the celebration. In Bosnia and Herzegovina in Europe, a team from the British Embassy will compete against Bosnia’s national sitting volleyball team for the Paralympics, and will also engage in debates with students at the University of Sarajevo on disability issues. In the Philippines, the British Embassy launched a photography competition themed “I Can,” featuring images of people of all abilities participating in sports activities, proving that disability does not have to be a barrier.

● Read more: Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – Thousand-boat flotilla on the Thames and beacon lighting ceremony

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