Han Ximin

    A REHEARSAL held in Shenzhen on Thursday, for the Olympic torch relay scheduled to be held in the city next month, was completed successfully with minimum disruptions to traffic.

    The trial run started at 8 a.m. at Citizens’ Center and ended at about 11:40 a.m. at Shenzhen Stadium, around 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

    Eight torchbearers, athletes with Shenzhen Sports School, were escorted by police motorcycles along the 40-kilometer route, as hundreds of police officers and security guards watched over the route.

    Certain roads, such as Shennan Road, Binhai Thoroughfare and Sungang Road, were closed to traffic for about 15 minutes each for the rehearsal.

    Serious congestion was avoided because traffic returned to normal soon after the torchbearers passed.

    Speaking after the trial run, Du Qin, vice chief of the Shenzhen Municipal Sports Bureau, said the rehearsal had been carried out smoothly.

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    “In general, the four-hour rehearsal is a success, but it is different from the real relay because there would be more spectators and the 208 torchbearers would be different in ages,” she said.

    “We will organize training for the 208 torchbearers May 6 and 7 for the actual relay May 8,” Du added.

    Residents showed their enthusiasm for the event.

    Li Jieshui, a resident of Nanshan District who went to watch the rehearsal, said she was looking forward to seeing the real relay May 8.

    The Beijing Olympic flame will arrive in Shenzhen from Guangzhou on May 8 for a 40-kilometer run, before it carries on to Huizhou and Shantou.

    Guangdong will be the second province on the mainland to see the torch.