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DHL brings 'Flame of Hope' to London to celebrate 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai
The Special Olympics Flame of Hope was express delivered to London by DHL for a torch lighting ceremony and run through the capital, on the third stop of the Flame of Hope's first international journey across five continents in the lead up to the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai. Special Olympics athletes accepted the Flame of Hope on behalf of the City of London at a special Torch Lighting Ceremony at City Hall beside London's iconic Tower Bridge, to kick off the London leg of the International Torch Run. They were joined by Mr. Zhou Taitong, Vice Mayor of Shanghai and Executive Vice Chairman of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organising Committee, Madam Fu Ying, the Chinese Ambassador to Great Britain, and Lawrie McMenemy, the Chairman of Special Olympics Great Britain. The Flame of Hope, carried by Special Olympics athletes and law enforcement representatives from both Great Britain and China, moved from Tower Bridge by boat along the River Thames to Westminster, past Trafalgar Square and onto Chinatown and Leicester Square. London is one of the international cities across the world to play host to the International Torch Run. DHL, the world's leading express and logistics company, is the Global Partner of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games and the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho, USA. After the Torch Lighting Ceremony and Torch Run in London, the torch will travel around the world for three months before arriving in China for the Opening Ceremony of the 2007 World Summer Games in Shanghai, on 2 October 2007. Chris Muntwyler, CEO DHL Express UK and Ireland, said: "We are proud to be the first official partner of the Special Olympics International Torch Run, an event which celebrates personal courage and global diversity - one of our key corporate values. This partnership is our way of paying tribute to the spirit of sportsmanship and tenacity of these very special athletes, who have overcome all odds to participate in this global sporting event." "The event was of special significance to the staff of DHL UK: transporting and maintaining the Flame of Hope on its journey around the world is an exciting challenge for our team, and we were very glad to have a group of UK staff take part in the London Torch Lighting Ceremony, alongside the Special Olympics athletes and law enforcement professionals from Great Britain and China." Lawrie McMenemy, Chairman of Special Olympics Great Britain, said: "We are proud that Great Britain and London have been chosen as one of the stops for Special Olympics International Torch Run as the Flame of Hope makes its way to Shanghai, and it is great that DHL is supporting such a worthy cause. The Great Britain team looks forward to competing for silverware at the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in October." DHL is committed to providing smooth transport of the flame around the globe, providing end-to-end logistics support from start to finish. The transportation involves stringent security processes and screening. As with all shipments, the torch will be tracked and traced by DHL's Quality Control Centres and scanned at each exit and entry point during the Torch Run. DHL has overcome a range of challenges from logistical to transportation issues, local customs procedures to regulations requiring the flame to be transferred from the Special Olympics Torch to a miner's lamp for all international transfers. The lamp is filled with 150 ml of standard lamp oil, which is in the form of liquid paraffin, approved by Civil Aviation authorities, and needs to be refilled every 24 hours. After the World Summer Games in Shanghai, the 2007 flame will reside at DHL headquarters in tribute to the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games. DHL is a Global Supporter of Special Olympics International and will also deliver equipment for the Opening Ceremony in Shanghai. Moving the Flame of Hope for Special Olympics and providing logistics support demonstrates DHL's commitment and contribution to sport globally. www.2007specialolympics.com
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