Qi Fabao Photo: Zhang Hui/GT

Qi Fabao, a PLA regiment commander who sustained head injury while fighting bravely in the Galwan Valley border skirmish with India, became a torchbearer during Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Torch Relay on Wednesday.

Qi, the regimental commander from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Xinjiang military command, who suffered a serious head injury during the Galwan Valley border skirmish on June 15, 2020,  took the flame from Wang Meng, China's four-time Olympic short track speed skating champion, at Winter Olympic Park on Wednesday. When passing the flame, Wang and Qi made military salutes to each other.

 There are about 1,200 torchbearers for the Winter Olympic Games and about 600 torchbearers for the Paralympic Games, among them, the eldest is 86 years old and the youngest is 14.   

Themed "Let us meet at the rendezvous of ice and snow; let us run towards a shared, brighter future", the Olympic torch relay will be hosted from  February 2 to 4, across the three competition zones, including 11 enclosed areas outside of the closed-loop and one standalone area inside the closed-loop.

On February 4, the Olympic flame, after being relayed by about 1,200 torchbearers, will light the main cauldron at the National Stadium, in an exciting moment that will mark the beginning of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Global Times