China: The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic torch relay kicked off in the Chinese capital on Wednesday 2 February 2022. The relay got underway at the Olympic Forest Park, with the torch set to make its way through the Beijing Winter Olympic Park before reaching the Shougang Park.

The first three runners in the relay were Luo Zhihuan, an 80-year-old former speed skater who won China's first winter sport world championship title in 1963, followed by veteran astronaut Jing Haipeng, and aerospace engineer Ye Peijian, who designed China's Chang'e-1 lunar orbiting satellite.

Retired Chinese basketball star Yao Ming also ran for a leg, before handing over to the Greek ambassador to China Georgios Iliopoulos.

Because of COVID-19, only selected members of the public will witness this week's relay, as will be the case during the sporting events at the Olympics, which are taking place inside a "closed loop" that seals off athletes and other Olympics personnel from the public.

The flame, which was flown from Greece in October, where more than 1,000 torchbearers will carry the flame through competition areas, which included one independent region inside the closed-loop Olympic Village, and 11 regions outside the Olympic Village. Including downtown Beijing, its northwestern suburban district of Yanqing and the neighboring city of Zhangjiakou before the opening ceremony which will take place behind closed doors following strict COVID-19 counter measures.

The Beijing Winter Olympic Games will officially get underway with Friday's opening ceremony at the iconic National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest and ending on the 20th of February.