Olympic Torch, Medals Arrive in Sochi
Baku, February 6 (AZERTAC). The Olympic flame reached Sochi Wednesday, following a 65,000-kilometer (39,000-mile) route, the longest in the history of the games.
During the journey, the torch relay reached the North Pole, went to the top of Europe's highest mountain, plunged into the world's deepest lake and was even taken into space by Russian cosmonauts. The torchbearers included a 101-year-old man.
The relay generated genuine public enthusiasm, featuring famous cultural figures, athletes and other celebrities, and drawing big crowds across Russia.
But it also has seen some spectacular gaffes, with the flame flickering out on dozens of occasions and, in some cases, even engulfing the bearers.
The relay began on Red Square in Moscow on October 7. Around 14,000 torchbearers, including a 101-year-old man, have taken part in the record 56,000-kilometer journey that included the North Pole and the top of Europe`s highest mountain. The flame was also taken into space by Russian cosmonauts and carried down into the depths of Lake Baikal, the world`s biggest and deepest freshwater lake.
For the first time in the Games` history, the Olympic medals also toured cities ahead of the event.
The medals were seen by about 2.5 million people in 16 Russian cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Yaroslavl, Murmansk, Stavropol and Ufa.
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