NEW DELHI, June 10: Athletes, film stars and politicians vied with one another on Thursday to carry the Olympic torch which returned to India after 40 years on its voyage across five continents to Athens.
Thousands poured onto the 33-kilometre (20-mile) route through New Delhi as 105 runners over six hours carried the torch up to the National Stadium, where ace shooter Anjali Bhagwat lit a flame.
"My message on the occasion is one for peace in the world," Bhagwat said after completing the ceremonial final leg. "Let's play the game in the spirit of the game." The Olympic torch, kept in a special lantern that burns continuously, arrived to a tumultuous welcome at the Indira Gandhi international airport in the morning from Beijing on a special Boeing 747.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit flagged off the relay of runners by handing the flame to Indian Olympic chief Suresh Kalmadi at the historic Qutub Minar monument in south Delhi.
"It is a significant moment for India. It will inspire the youth and give a boost to the Olympic sport in the country," said Kalmadi, who began the relay in front of cheering onlookers.
From there, runners including legendary athlete Milkha Singh, hockey Olympian Ajitpal Singh, cricketers Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and Kapil Dev and film stars Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi carried the flame on the tightly-guarded route.
The relay passed by important landmarks such as the Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb, parliament and the presidential palace on its way to the National Stadium, venue of the first Asian Games in 1951.
However, controversy also marked the relay with prominent Olympians lashing out at the organisers for involving film personalities and politicians. "Frankly, an Olympic torch should be carried by sports persons only. Film stars or politicians may run the relay alongside the torch-bearers," said Milkha Singh.
Sprinter and hurdler P.T. Usha, who missed an Olympic bronze by a whisker in the 1984 Los Angeles Games, was a notable absentee as she was invited at the last moment.
"The invite came too late. It would have been difficult to make necessary arrangements to travel to Delhi at such a short notice," said Usha, based in the southern state of Kerala.
"I'm not saying this out of malice. It's an athlete's dream to hold the torch, especially when it is coming here after a gap of 40 years." The torch, which last passed through India in 1964, left Athens last week on board the colourfully-painted Boeing, dubbed 'Zeus'.
Nearly 11,000 people will carry it across five continents in its global relay, including all the cities which have hosted the Games since they were revived in 1896. -AFP
