Taipei, Aug. 10 (CNA) The torch for the 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade started its route around the capital city Thursday ahead of the Aug. 19 opening of the games.
Xinyi District Office Chief Yu Chu-ping carried the torch from Taipei City Hall, past the Taipei City Council, the National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Eslite Bookstore's Xinyi Branch and the Taipei 101 skyscraper.
The torch will pass through Taipei's 11 other districts by Aug. 15 and will then be taken to various scenic spots in the city on Aug. 16-17.
It will pass through Taipei's old downtown, visiting spots that include Longshan Temple, Xiahai City God Temple, North Gate and Zhongshan Hall on Aug. 16. The next day, it will go to the Beitou Hot Spring Museum, the Tianmu Baseball Stadium and the Grand Hotel, ending at the Taipei Stadium, where the opening ceremony for the games will be held.
The torch was lit in the Italian city of Turin on June 20, and carried through Naples, Bangkok, and Daegu in South Korea and returning to Taiwan on June 29. The torch reached the top of Jade Mountain, Taiwan's highest peak at 3,952 meters, on July 7, and finished a route that took it through the country's other 21 cities and counties on Aug. 8.
The Universiade will take place Aug. 19-30, and will involve more than 7,600 student athletes from 131 countries competing in 22 sports at 38 venues in Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County.
