The thirtieth of April marked the 100-day countdown to the coming Olympic Games. On this special day, thousands of people in Suzhou gathered around the Taihu Lake Levee to participate in the 100-day countdown celebration, which was kicked off with 2008 representatives walking for 2008 meters along the levee. This was to confer everyone's benediction to the Olympic Games. Bathing in fresh breeze, the participants walked through five Olympic-themed sections, namely, "Red Passion", "Blue Dream", "Green Life", "Black Humour" and "Golden Harvest". Finally, they signed their names on a signature board. Meanwhile, the torch relay route in Suzhou and the torch bearers were nailed down. 

    The Olympic torch flame will arrive in Suzhou on the evening of 21 May and the torch run will begin at 8:00 on 22 May from the Tiger Hill. It will last for about four hours, covering a distance of nearly 18 kilometers. In the afternoon, the torch will be transferred to the next leg--the city of Nantong. The route is carefully drafted to display the major attractions of Suzhou such as the classical gardens, overpasses, symbolic buildings, arteries and the achievements of SIP and SND.

    There are, altogether, 104 torch bearers in Suzhou, with 55 of them locally-selected and 49 designated by other sources. The 55 chosen in Suzhou come from all walks of life, some of whom are foreigners, compatriots and overseas Chinese who have been making great contributions to the city. The youngest one is 14 years old and the eldest one 83. As for the rest, they are mainly from the Olympic Games sponsors. The ratio of escort runners and torch bearers is 1 to 4, so 26 people are needed as the escort runners, however 27 were selected with an extra one kept in reserve.

    Pic: People gathered for the celebration
    Photo by Hua Xuegen

   Torch bearer representatives participated in the celebration

    On the afternoon of 30 April, Wan Yaqing, Yan Wenxiang, Tang Weifang, Gu Guang and David Wavth, on behalf of all the Suzhou torch bearers, were invited to the ceremony. They are of different ages, jobs and even nationalities, they have, however, one thing in common--the passion for sports. When asked to state the reasons why they were selected as torch bearers, they all gave wonderful and cogent answers. 
 
    "I'm now 83, and have entered for National Sports Meeting of the Elder for four times. Up to now, I have won 7 gold medals, 1 silver medal and 1 bronze medal. Last year, I broke the 100m running national record for the 75-year-old-more group." Wan Yaqing, quite hale and hearty, said with confidence and won thunderous applause.   
 
    Yan Wenxiang, from Suzhou Caixiang Middle School, is the youngest one among Suzhou torch bearers. He is fond of sports and by coincidence, he has the same birthday with Liu Xiang.