Beijing started its Winter Olympics torch relay Wednesday early, with Yao Ming, a Chinese basketball star and Olympian being among those who carried the flame. This journey was cut short by Covid-19 restrictions which will end in three days.

It will be able to carry the flame beyond landmarks like the Great Wall. The relay is smaller than the global event. Beijing’s 2008 Summer GamesProtests on the road disrupted this process.

Covid-19 is a restriction that only a select few will see the torch relay.

February 4-20 Games will be held in a closed loop bubble. This protects athletes and other Olympic personnel from the general public.

Georgios Iliopoulos was the ambassador of Greece to China, and one of the torchbearers. He said, “That’s, of course. Bad luck. But what can you do?” When asked if he was concerned that 2022 Games might be called the “corona Olympics.”

You cannot end life, and we try our best to keep up with the things we are dealing with. “The important thing is that we stay together and get it over with as quickly as possible,” he said to reporters.

After being flown by the flame from Greece, it will be transported to the competition zones of Zhangjiakou, in the neighboring Hebei Province, and then end its journey at the opening ceremony with the lighting the Olympic cauldron.

The event started under clear skies in Beijing. Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng light a torch in a cauldron that resembles a traditional vessel called a zun. Luo Zhihuan (80 years old) was China’s first champion in winter sports.

Participation in relay is expected to include more than 1,000 torch-bearers

When Yao was asked how he felt being an Olympics torchbearer during sub-freezing morning, he replied: “Pretty cold because the two previous times were for Summer Olympics.” It’s still warm enough to light a candle in winter.

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