Published by: World Tibet Network News, Sunday, Apr 28, 1996

Beijing (April 24, 1996) XINHUA - China has chosen 12 representives to join 500-strong torchbearers from more than 100 countries and regions for the Olympic torch relay across the United States, it was announced by the Chinese Olympic Committee here on Wednesday.

Among the 12, three children from poverty families were picked up. They were aged from 15 to 18 from the national Hope Project whose aim is to assist poor children back to school education. The project is a non-profit programme providing education for 1.25 million children in more than 2,000 schools in poor areas.

Rang Ying, 16, a Tibetan girl who re-started her schooling due to the help of the project five years ago, said it was a dream for her.

"It is a dream too sweet for me to believe. I thank for the Coca Cola Company. I will tell my mother as soon as I find a telephone," the girl said.

Sun Jianping, a policeman from Tianjing, was chosen after telling a story. The distance-running lover, who ran the second fastest time among the local candidates, said he once had to run 10 kilometers to catch a thief, who happenly turned to be a professional distance runner.

The 12 people were chosen from 25,000 candidates from China's 30 provinces. According to Coca-Cola, the sponsor of the torch relay, the Chinese representives will carry the flame at New York State's Niagara Falls on June 12.

The Olympic flame will arrive in the United States on April 27 and it will travel 15,000 miles in 84 days across the country.

Forwarded by: Tibetan Rights Campaign - Seattle