ALMATY, April 2: Kazakhstan’s president carried the Olympic torch for a brief run on Wednesday in an elaborate ceremony, with thousands of police put on high alert to prevent any disturbances.

Kazakhstan’s biggest city, Almaty, is the first official stop in the international leg of the 130-day Olympic torch relay, likely to be a magnet for anti-China protests ahead of the August games in Beijing.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev opened the festivities at a skating ring south of Almaty by taking a brief symbolic run with the torch in front of tens of thousands of spectators.

On a stage flanked by military guards, men and women in national dress performed dances and several panda-shaped balloons were released into a clear spring sky.

The ceremony culminated when a Kazakh athlete on horseback galloped through a central square holding the blazing torch high above his head, followed by a caravan of camels, horses and wagons full of cheerleaders.

At last week’s flame-lighting ceremony in Greece, activists unfurled banners condemning China’s actions. On Sunday, protesters tried to block the flame’s handover to Beijing officials.

The flame’s next stop after Almaty is Istanbul. It is due to return to Beijing on Aug. 6 after travelling throughout China, two days before it is used to light the cauldron at the Olympic opening ceremony.—Reuters