Yu Zaiqing (L), vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Winter Games, holds the Olympic flame during a handover ceremony at Panathinean Stadium in Athens, Greece on Tuesday. The flame will be flown to Beijing, which will co-host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February.

The Olympic flame of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games was handed over to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Winter Games at Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on Tuesday, following a flame lighting ceremony at Ancient Olympia, where the games were born 2,500 years ago.

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic and security concerns, spectators were not allowed to the ceremony. Journalists were required to go through strict security checks, identification checks and vaccinations checks before entering the stadium.  

After the flag-raising, about 20 priestesses walked into the stadium and gathered around the cauldron. After being handed the olive branch by Greece's torchbearer, Li Nina, Chinese Winter Olympic medalist and the second-leg torchbearer, ran with the torch to the last torchbearer, Greek skier Paraskevi Ladopoulou, who later lighted the cauldron. 

After a dance performance by the priestesses, Hellenic Olympic Committee President Spyros Capralos delivered a speech, stressing China and Greece, which will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2022, continue to enjoy close ties.

"This unique flame will convey the message of peace and friendship," Capralos said, noting the flame also carries respect and good wishes to the Chinese people, a nation with a long history. 

"Greece and China are good friends," Capralos said in Chinese. 

"The pandemic may prevent us from holding a flame ceremony in the presence of people, but I am sure the successful and safe organization of the Games would be another victory for humanity against coronavirus… Your [China's] history, your culture, your traditions, your faith and values, your great love for sports, give us assurance that you'll organize an excellent Games next February, just as you did in 2008 with the Summer Olympics," Capralos said.

Yu Zaiqing, vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Winter Games, expressed gratitude to Greece for the thoughtful arrangement and support in the flame lighting and handover ceremonies.  

"On March 30, 2008, we took up the flame of the Beijing Olympic Games here, and later held an exceptional Games with people around world," said Yu, noting that in the past 13 years, China has promoted the Olympic culture, and the Olympic movement in China has greatly developed.  

"The flame carrying the Olympic spirit will once again shine the light of peace and friendship on the land of China," Yu said. 

Yu later received the Olympic torch from Capralos, and then the flame was transferred to a special "red lantern" which was constructed to make the flame visible. 

Some cultural experts said the design of the flame lantern originated from the Changxin Palace Lantern of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-AD25) 2,000 years ago. And it was unearthed in North China's Hebei Province, one of the Olympic venues in 2022. 

"Changxin" means "long-lasting belief" in Chinese, representing the people's pursuit and yearning for light and hope. It is a perfect fit between Chinese traditional culture and the Olympic spirit, observers said. 

The Beijing Olympic delegation will take a flight on Tuesday, bringing the flame back to Beijing, where a welcome ceremony will be held on Wednesday, and the route of the torch relay will be announced as well, the Global Times learned.   

"It [the flame] will have its own seat… first class of course," said a commentator during the Olympics livestream.

2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games: A timeline of China's preparations Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT