Led by China's 110m hurdles Olympic champion Liu Xiang, four torchbearers for the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games left Beijing for Italy yesterday.

"It is unexpected for me to be selected as the torchbearer for the Winter Olympic Games since I'm a Summer Olympian," said Liu, who also ran the torch relay for the Athens Olympics last year in Beijing, before he left for Florence.

"It's an honourable task for me, and I will enjoy every minute of bearing the Olympic flame."

The four torchbearers - Liu, Yang Yang (S), the short track speed skating winter Olympic silver medallist, and two college students Xie Weijiang from Peking University and Li Min from China Agricultural University - will run the torch relay in Florence, in the central area of Italy today. The torchbearers were selected by the Chinese Olympic Committee and Coca-Cola, one of the worldwide partners of the International Olympic Committee.

Each of them will run 400 metres during the relay this afternoon.

Having competed in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games, and 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, Yang will participate in next year's Games in a new role, which also made her excited.

"It's a great honour for me to represent China to run the torch relay for the Winter Olympics," said Yang, who has claimed four silver medals and one bronze medal altogether in the two Games.

"I will bring the dreams of Chinese Winter Olympic athletes to Italy, and I hope I could bring them good luck."

In the 2002 Games, the Chinese delegation won its first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal with Yang Yang (A)'s triumph at the women's 500m short track speed skating race.

In next year's Games, Chinese Winter Olympians will strive for better results in the sports like figure skating, short track speed skating, speed skating and freestyle skiing aerial.

The 2006 Winter Olympic Games will run from February 10 to 26.

The Olympic torch for the 2006 Winter Games reached Italy from Greece last Wednesday.

Having set out from Rome, the torch will tour all over Italy for 64 days.

It will cover a total distance of 11,300 kilometres, visiting 140 cities, 107 provinces and all of Italy's regions, as well as the neighbouring countries of San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and France.

There will be 10,001 torchbearers, who will carry the flame to Turin, where it will arrive on February 10, 2006.

(China Daily December 14, 2005)