On the morning of October 12th, the Flame Lighting Ceremony for the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games took place at the Museum of Guangzhou Asian Games and Guangzhou Asian Para Games. Why was the flame lit and preserved in Guangzhou? Behind it is the inaugural Asian Para Games held in Guangzhou.

The 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou marked the first sporting spectacle after it was renamed from the "Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled"(the FESPIC Games). It was also the first instance of hosting the Asian Games "twice" in the same city and year. Consequently, as the hosting city, the Asian Paralympic Committee decided to permanently retain the flame in Guangzhou.

The torch relay for the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, which collected the flame from Guangzhou, carries profound significance as it upholds the ideals and objectives of the Asian Para Games while comprehensively showcasing the continuous growth of sports for the disabled in Asia.

The Journey of the Flame for Asian Para Games

I. Flame lighting

On December 3rd, 2010, which marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the flame of the Guangzhou Asian Para Games was ignited at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing. Adilan Aierken, a visually impaired girl from Xinjiang, and the Guangzhou-born swimmer Zhou Jiawei, who won gold at the 16th Asian Games, jointly ignited the flame. Huang Huahua, the Executive Chairman of the Asian Para Games Organizing Committee and the then-governor of Guangdong Province received the torch and lit the flame carrier held by the young girl. Subsequently, the flame escorts used the flame from the box to light the torch and escorted it out of the venue.

II. Torch relay

On the morning of December 4th, 2010, the Great Hall of the People in Beijing witnessed the Torch Lighting and Relay launching ceremony. Ge Yang, an athlete, served as the first torchbearer, with a total of 20 torchbearers participating in the relay at Tiananmen Square.

There are 660 torchbearers for the Guangzhou Asian Para Games.

From December 5th to 11th, 2010, the seven-day relay in Guangzhou, covering 2,028 kilometers with a relay distance of 58 kilometers witnessed 17 activity ceremonies that attracted approximately 500,000 spectators at the venues and along the route.

III. Guangzhou permanently kept the flame

On December 19th, 2010, as the main cauldron was extinguished, the torch flame of the Asian Para Games was taken from the cauldron to light the lantern at the closing ceremony of the Guangzhou Asian Para Games. The lantern was then carried to the stage by outstanding athletes selected at that time and a deaf-mute girl named Zhenzhen, who handed it over to Dato' Zainal Abu Zarin, the then President of the Asian Paralympic Committee.

As time flew on January 30th, 2011, the square of the Guangzhou Sports Culture Museum welcomed a flame handover ceremony. As an important sports and cultural heritage of Guangzhou's "two Asia Games" in 2010, the flame of the Guangzhou Asian Para Games permanently resides in the Museum of Guangzhou Asian Games and Guangzhou Asian Para Games, emerging a new cultural landmark in the city.

杭州亚残运会火种在广州完成采集，火种为何永存广州？

10月12日上午，杭州第4届亚洲残疾人运动会火种采集仪式在广州亚运会亚残运会博物馆举行。杭州亚残运会火种为何要在广州采集？亚残运会火种为何永久保留在广州？这和首届亚残运会在广州举行密不可分。

广州亚残运会于2010年举行，是原“远东及南太平洋地区残疾人运动会”更名后首次举办的体育盛会，也是首次同城同年举办“两个亚运会”。同时，广州作为举办城市，亚残奥委员会决定将火种永久保留在广州。

本次杭州亚残运会火炬传递从广州采集火种，意义深远，延续了亚残运会的理念与宗旨，也全面展现了亚洲残疾人体育事业的薪火相传。

亚残运会圣火的前世今生

一、火种采集

2010年12月3日（国际残疾人日），广州亚残运会的火种在北京中华世纪坛采集，新疆视力残障姑娘阿迪兰·艾尔肯和第16届亚洲运动会游泳冠军广州籍运动员周嘉威共同采集火种。亚残运会组委会执行主席、时任广东省省长黄华华接过采火棒，点燃采火少女手中的火种盒。火种护卫队员随后用火种盒中的火种引燃火种灯，并护送火种灯离场。

二、火炬传递

2010年12月4日上午，火炬点燃暨火炬传递活动启动仪式在北京人民大会堂举行。第一棒火炬手是葛杨，20名火炬手在天安门广场进行火炬传递。

广州亚残运会参与火炬传递的火炬手共660名, 2010年12月5日至11日在广州市进行为期7天的传递，总行程2028公里，传递路程58公里，举办各类活动仪式17场，仪式现场和沿途观众总数约50万人。

三、火种永存广州

2010年12月19日，广州亚残运会闭幕式上，在主火炬塔熄灭的同时，用亚残运会火炬“潮流”从火炬塔取出火种，点燃火种灯。由当时选出的赛事优秀运动员和聋哑女孩“珍珍”将火种灯送到仪式台，交给时任亚残奥委员会主席拿督扎纳尔·阿布扎林。

2011年1月30日，在广州亚体文化中心广场举行了火种交接仪式，广州亚残运会火种作为广州“两个亚运”的重要体育文化遗产，永存广州亚运会亚残运会博物馆中庭广场，成为羊城“新景”。

文、图｜记者 柳卓楠 鄢敏
译 | 陈萱