Two professional videogamers are set to carry the 2008 Olympic torch during its painfully long and drawn-out journey to the Beijing Games.
The GGL Wire has reported that pro gamers Jae Ho “Moon” Jang and Li “Sky” Xiaofeng will carry the torch during its procession to the opening ceremony which will take place on August 8. The report said that fellow pro gamers Junchun “Pj” Sha and Lei “Leilei” Shen will also take part in the march, but did not specify whether they would carry the torch or the Cheetos and Mountain Dew.
The 2008 Games will also feature the Global Gaming League’s 2008 Digital Games, the first ever videogame-based Official Welcome Event held at an Olympics. Working in conjunction with China Internet Gaming and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, the GGL will organize and co-produce “a competitive gaming tournament for gamers of all skill levels.”
The decision to award China the 2008 Olympic Games has been beset with controversy, and the torch rally from Olympia, Greece to Beijing has been met with high-profile protests against China’s violent oppression of Tibet, ongoing support of the Darfur genocide, suppression of personal rights and freedoms of its own citizens and abysmal record on human rights, health and the environment in general. The 2008 Summer Olympics will take place from August 8-24; for more information, head over to the official Beijing Olympic Games website.
