Olympic Games 2008

Relay enjoys smooth run in Macau

Article published on the 2008-05-03 Latest update 2008-05-08 09:22 TU

Torch in Hong Kong
(Photo : Reuters)

The Olympic torch relay has enjoyed an easy route through Chinese gambling city Macau. There were no signs of any protesters, as thousands waved Chinese flags in the streets. The torch passed many of the huge casinos seen the southern Chinese territory, which is close to overtaking Las Vegas in terms of gambling revenues.

The route also passed some of the former Portuguese colony's most famous sites and the 500-year-old A-Ma temple.

Organisers in Macau slashed the timing of the relay journey in half to just over three hours on the advice of Olympic officials in Beijing. About 2,200 police were deployed on Macau's streets.

On Friday the flame journeyed through neighbouring Hong Kong, where it was greeted with celebrations and few of the protests by pro-Tibet campaigners and human rights activists. 

It is set to head Saturday evening to the southern Chinese holiday resort of Hainan and its first mainland relay will take place on Sunday. The torch will then make its way through China - including Tibet - before the August  Games opening ceremony in Beijing.

Many of the protests, notably in London and Paris, that disrupted earlier legs were sparked by anger at China's crackdown in Tibet after protests there sparked violence in March.

Tibet's government-in-exile says more than 200 people were killed in the crackdown, while China says 20 people had been killed by Tibetan "rioters,"