Culture News Blog

Hundreds of Zambians, together with local Chinese community, joined in the 2008 Olympic Day Run in cities of Lusaka and Kitwe on Saturday.

The event, hailed as "a great moment of sport, solidarity and celebration" by International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge in a good-will message, is held annually in Zambia to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the annual event, Chinese Ambassador Li Qiangmin said the Olympics Day Run has helped spread the Olympic ideals across Zambia, adding that it will promote the practice of participation of sports in the African country.

The Olympics-themed event came just one month before the forthcoming Olympic Games which is to start on Aug. 8 in Beijing.

Li stressed that China is fully prepared for the quadrennial world sporting carnival and is to stage a high-level Olympics with distinctive features.

"The Beijing Olympic Games will be a perfect occasion to fully display China's 5000-year history and its resplendent culture and a grand ceremony that will gather athletes from all over the world including Zambia," he said.

Zambia is to send seven athletes to Beijing in participation in boxing, swimming, badminton and track, according to Miriam Moyo, President of the National Olympic Committee of Zambia.

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