At 2:00 p.m. local time (0600 GMT) the Kuala Lumpur leg of the global torch relay began from the Malaysian capital's Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square). About 4 hours later, it is scheduled to reach the Petronas Twin Towers where it will be celebrated with a grand ceremony. Kuala Lumpur is the thirteenth stop of the 2008 worldwide Olympic torch relay outside of the Chinese mainland.
At the launching ceremony, Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja'afar gave a brief speech where he spoke about the honor his country feels of being selected as a stop on the global route. Malaysians will remember this day forever, he pronounced. He also wished the Beijing Olympics success in his address. The OCM president is the first torchbearer on Malaysia's route.
Y. Bhg. Datuk Haji Ruslin bin Haji Hasan, Kuala Lumpur's mayor, also spoke to the expectant audience before the start of the relay, thanking BOCOG for selecting the capital as a stop on the worldwide route, allowing the city to show itself off to a global audience. The torch relay will be a success, he continued.
After a short speech, BOCOG vice-president Jiang Xiaoyu passed the torch on, signaling the beginning of the relay in Malaysia.
Kuala Lumpur's 10.8 km route passes through key historic and tourist sites in the city. Among the eighty torchbearers scheduled for the run, members of the country's government, various athletes, and celebrities will carry the sacred flame, including former Olympic competitors Cheah Soon Kit, Yap Kim Hock, Jalani Razif, Rashid Razif, and current women's world number one squash player Nicol David.
(BOCOG April 21, 2008)