FACTBOX: The Olympic flame's planned route to Beijing

Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:48am EDT
 
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(Reuters) - Human rights protesters tried to disrupt the Olympic torch-lighting ceremony in Greece this week, as the flame began its five month journey to Beijing's August Games.

Exiled Tibetans have pledged to demonstrate against China's security crackdown in the region, but Olympics organizers say there are no plans to change the torch's route to Tibet, which it is scheduled to visit twice.

After the flame arrives in Beijing on March 31, a second torch will be lit from it and taken to Tibet in May, where Chinese climbers will try to take it to the top of Mount Everest.

Here is a list of planned stops for the flame's 85,000 mile (137,000 kilometer) route across five continents to the Games.

* March 24-30: Olympic torch lit in Olympia, Greece, site of ancient Olympics. Travels across Greece; heads to China.

* March 31: Flame arrives in Beijing; heads to central Asia: Almaty, Kazakhstan, (April 1, 2), Istanbul, Turkey, (April 3).

* April 5: Crosses Europe from St Petersburg, Russia, (April 5), to London (April 6) and Paris (April 7).

* April 9: San Francisco; then from North to South America and across to Africa: Buenos Aires, Argentina (April 11), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, (April 13), Muscat, Oman, (April 14).

* April 16: Asia leg kicks off in Islamabad, Pakistan (April 16), New Delhi, India (April 17), Bangkok, Thailand (April 19), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (April 21), Jakarta, Indonesia (April 22).  Continued...

 

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