3 Olympic torches unite in Nagano after 32-day journey

February 6, 1998

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From the Olympics Toword Tomorrow

3 Olympic torches unite in Nagano after 32-day journey

Three Olympic torches ended their 32-day journey across Japan and were reunited into one Olympic flame Friday, the day before the Winter Games open in Nagano.

''The Olympic flame is a symbol of peace and hope,'' said International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Antonio Samaranch, after transferring the combined flame to a small cauldron in a ceremony held at Central Square in Nagano.

''It reminds us that by working together we can build a peaceful and better world,'' he said.

Yuko Emoto, judo gold medalist in the 1996 Atlanta Games, U.S. figure skater Kristie Yamaguchi, winner of Olympic gold in Albertville in 1992, and Masae Nakamura (nee Kasai), member of Japan's gold-winning women's volleyball team in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, ran the penultimate relay leg that ended at Central Square.

The Olympic flame, which will be kept in a protective lamp overnight, will start its final journey to the Olympic stadium in Minami Nagano Sports Park on Saturday morning.

Asked how it felt to be part of the Olympic torch relay, Yamaguchi said it felt ''great, it was fun.''

In the ceremony, the gold medalists handed their torches to Nagano Mayor Tasuku Tsukada, Nagano prefectural Gov. Goro Yoshimura and Eishiro Saito, president of the Nagano Olympic organizing committee (NAOC). The three men then combined the flames in Samaranch's torch.

Thousands of people lined the streets to cheer on the relay runners. Central Square, which will also be the venue for the Olympic medal ceremonies, was packed with spectators.

Kei Ishizaki, a senior high school student, was giggling with her friends in the crowd as Yamaguchi passed with her torch. ''She's so small and cute. Although she's not Japanese, she's still cute,'' Ishizaki said.

Pham Yen, a 22-year-old Vietnamese visitor from Hanoi, also came to see the gold medalists. ''I'm too short, I saw only the flame,'' she said.

Shigeko Okamoto, 63, said she came to see the ceremony because she couldn't get tickets for Saturday's opening ceremony. ''I wanted to get a feel for the atmosphere,'' she said.

Since the three-route torch relay began Jan. 6, some 7,000 runners have carried the flames through Japan's 47 prefectures and all the cities, towns and villages of Nagano Prefecture.

(Kyodo News)

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