Chinese team takes Olympic flame to Everest summit

A CHINESE mountaineering team took the Olympic flame to the top of the world yesterday, a spectacular feat dreamed up to underscore China’s ambitions for the Beijing Games.

The Mount Everest climbers could be heard struggling for breath in a live television broadcast as five torchbearers each shuffled a few feet before passing on the flame to the next person. The final torchbearer, a Tibetan named Cering Wangmo, stood silently on the peak with her torch while other team members unfurled small Chinese and Olympic flags.

They clustered together, cheering “We made it” and “Beijing welcomes you”.