BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Robots and autonomous driving will be used during the torch relay of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, organizers introduced during a press conference on Friday.
In accordance with the concept of delivering a "simple, safe and splendid" Games the torch relay of the Olympic Winter Games will take place in the three competition zones of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou from February 2 to 4, including 11 enclosed areas outside the closed-loop of Beijing 2022, and one inside.
The torch relay will start after an opening ceremony at the Olympic Forest Park in Beijing on February 2 and move to the Winter Olympic Park later, where amphibious robots will be used to pass on the flame underwater for the first time in Olympic history.
Autonomous vehicles will also be used at the Shougang park during the relay, the purpose of which is to promote the attention and interest in relative technologies and industries, especially among the youth.
The torch relay of the Paralympic Winter Games will run from March 2 to 4 in the three competition zones, with flames from nine specific places, including one from Mandeville of Britain, merging together as the official Paralympic flame.
About 1,200 and 600 torchbearers will participate in the Olympic and Paralympic torch relays respectively, with the youngest being 14 years old and the oldest being 86. Twenty-one percent of the Paralympic torchbearers are people with disabilities.
Besides the traditional torch relay, an 13-day online relay will be featured starting January 23, allowing the public to participate online including the Beijing 2022 website and social media platforms like Weibo, WeChat and TikTok. ■
