30 August 2008 - 09H22
Paris flame bearer given top role in Paralympics torch relay
Four days after the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games, the torch relay for the Paralympics begins. Jin Jing, the disabled Chinese fencer who defended the torch from protesters in Paris, had the honor of launching the relay.
A disabled Chinese fencer who became a national heroine after defending the Olympic flame from protesters took one of the top roles at the start of the Paralympic torch relay Thursday.
Jin Jing, dubbed the "smiling angel in a wheelchair" by the Chinese press, launched the Paralympic relay with Premier Wen Jiabao.
After a ceremony involving Jin and Beijing Olympic chief Liu Qi at the Chinese capital's historic "Temple of Heaven" complex, Wen lit a Paralympic cauldron to officially start the nine-day torch relay.
China's state-run press turned Jin into a national heroine after she shielded the Olympic torch from pro-Tibet protesters during the chaotic Paris relay in April.
The Paralympic relay will involve 850 torchbearers and the flame will be carried along two routes to showcase ancient and modern China.
The Paralympics, to include 4,000 athletes, will take place in Beijing from September 6 to 17.
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