Beijing Olympic Games

Updated：2008-03-29

Mayor Spiros Zagaris of Marathonas holds up a gift from Sohu.com presented by Charles Zhang, Sohu’s CEO and Chairman of the Board.

(MARATHONAS, Greece, March 28)– On Saturday, March 29, the Olympic torch will travel through what is possibly the most athletically relevant city in Greece participating in the Torch Relay. According to the schedule, the sacred flame will arrive in Marathonas, Greece, at 11:40 a.m.

Zhang meets Zagaris

Charles Zhang, Sohu’s CEO and Chairman of the Board, met with Mayor of Marathonas Spiros Zagaris ahead of the torch’s arrival. Sohu.com Inc., the official sponsor of Internet Content Service (ICS) for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, provides exclusive services to construct, operate and host the official website. At their meeting, the mayor wished both the Olympic Torch Relay and the Olympic Games success.

Mayor Zagaris presents Zhang with a gift made from olive branches.

The modern-day marathon

Marathonas lies 26 miles away from Athens, and is the site of the most famous battle in the capital’s history. In 490 BC, the Athenians rose up against the much larger Persian army, fighting a very bloody war which in the end they won. According to legend, Pheidippides, the winning team’s fastest runner, was then sent to Athens to pronounce the victory. Upon reaching the city, after running at his highest speed for the 26 mile (42.2 km) journey, he shouted, “We have won!” and then promptly dropped dead from exhaustion.

Charles Zhang crosses the finish line of mini-marathon first.

In 1896, when the first modern-day Olympic Games was staged, planners decided to include the “marathon” race as a competitive event; athletes would test their endurance by running the same route (in length) that Pheidippides ran to serve his country.

At 2:30 p.m on Friday afternoon, Zhang led a group of over 20 members of the reporting crew from Sohu covering the torch relay in Greece on a “mini-marathon.” The participants ran a total of ten kilometers in less than an hour, sparking the interest of overseas Chinese Greek citizens, who wished the Beijing Olympics much success.

Commemorative stone

Zhang stated that he hoped Sohu’s participation in running the mini-marathon showed that every employee of the company gave their continuous support of the Beijing Games and wished both the Torch Relay and Olympic Games success. He also expressed his desire that the original marathon spirit would continue to be passed down through the ages.

A meeting with the mayor

During the interview with Zhang, Zagaris proudly pointed out that Marathonas is the only city in the world that has an Olympic event named after it. The mayor will be the first torchbearer in Marathonas on Saturday, saying that it would be an honor to be the first to carry the torch, representing the respect and support that he has for Beijing.

The mayor revealed that the sacred flame will be welcomed to Marathonas via a grand ceremony, which will include Chinese elements in order to promote cultural understanding between Greece and China. Guests will also be privy to Chinese cuisine on Saturday.

Pheidippides route from Marathonas to Athens

Zhang and Zagaris exchanged beautiful and meaningful gifts, representing each side’s friendliness and support for each other.

In January of this year, the city mayor made a special trip to Xiamen, China, to watch a marathon. He stated that he believes the marathon is not only an athletic event, but also a kind of spirit that needs to be nurtured and passed down as legacy, following the Olympic ideals of “faster, stronger, higher.”

The sacred flame was first lit on March 24, signaling the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Reporters from Sohu.com, Inc. have been relentlessly following the torch as it journeys around the peninsula, covering every aspect of the relay and sending fans the latest in news so that the world may stay up-to-date.

The official website of the 2008 Games (www.beijing2008.cn) will be offering live coverage of the handover ceremony to take place on March 30.