Torch Relay's Nanning leg ends

(NANNING, June 7) -- Chen Wenzhong proudly carried the Olympic torch shortly after noon on Saturday as he ran into the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, where the flame was used to light the cauldron and mark the end of the Torch Relay in Nanning.

Chen, a sprinter and a Nanning native, was the last of 208 torchbearers who took part in the 16.5-km relay, which started at 9:15 a.m. with Wu Shude, a 1984 Olympic weightlifting gold medalist, running the first leg.

Mainly along Minzu Avenue, the relay route was planned with two considerations. First, as this year's National College Entrance Exam is being administered this weekend, organizers wanted to minimize the disturbance to students. Second, the chosen route contains several of the city's landmarks, including the South Lake, Wuxiang Square and the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center.

The Torch Relay will move on to Baise, Guangxi Province next.