Enough of Beijing’s massive rave-worthy Olympic transformation. Kuala Lumpur wants the limelight too, even if it’s only for a day. Come April 21, the Olympic Torch Relay will make a stopover in our beloved city before moving on to Jakarta. This will be the second time Kuala Lumpur hosts this run; the first was the run up to the 1964 Tokyo Games.

The relay has already begun on March 25 with the lighting of the flame at the Game’s birthplace at Olympia, followed by a journey to Athens before the torch was passed to a representative of China. This ‘Journey of Harmony’, as the relay is themed, will pass through 21 cities across five continents, including visits to some of the principal points along the ancient Silk Road.

The torch relay for the 2008 Beijing Olympics is breaking records everywhere it goes—it has the largest number of participants (21,800 torchbearers) covering the longest distance and the widest geographical expanse (137,000 kilometers) within 130 days. What’s even more impressive is that for the first time, the torch will conquer Mt. Qomolangma, the world’s highest peak otherwise known as Everest in the west, at 8,300 metres above sea level.

Historians believe that the sacred symbol of the modern Olympic Games that is the flame dates back to the first recorded Games held in 766 B.C. The flame was born in a temple erected by the ancient Greeks to honour Hera, the powerful queen of the mythological gods, at Olympia. That is why until today, the flame is first ignited in Olympia, then carried round the world before finishing at the host city just in time for the opening ceremony. However, the modern day Olympic Torch Relay only started with the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.

80 torchbearers have been lined up for the relay in KL, each running a distance of 250 metres and eventually making up a total 20 kilometres. While most, if not all, people are keen to be part of the action, the committee is rather stringent about their selection process. Torchbearers are chosen based on either their past Olympic performances or their commendable contribution to the society. Expect to see the Sultans of Perak and Pahang, our astronaut Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar, young diving extraordinaire Bryan Nickson Lomas and the badminton Sidek brothers on the run with Beijing torch in hand.

Just like the metamorphosis of Beijing, the KL’s relay route will showcase the city’s progression from the old to the gleaming new. Flagging off at Dataran Merdeka, the relay will pass through the National Monument and the Moorish KL Railway Station before making a pass through bustling Bukit Bintang and ending up at the manifestation of our national hope and pride, KLCC.

All are welcomed to cheer for the torchbearers. Community celebrations are planned for three locations—the launching ceremony at Dataran Merdeka, an one-hour celebration at Stadium Merdaka and the closing ceremony at KLCC. Verdicts are out on whether KL traffic will come to a gridlock on that day. But don’t mind that, a celebration like this doesn’t even come once every four years.


Olympic Torch Relay in KL starts at Dataran Merdeka and ends at KLCC. April 21, 1pm-7pm.