With the 2008 Summer Olympics still a few months away from being held in China, Long Beach residents can experience the thrill of seeing the Olympic torch being carried to opening ceremonies – right in their own hometown with the Special Olympic Summer Games coming to the Pyramid.
Want to catch a glimpse of the torch? More than 3,500 military police, sheriffs and police officers have carried it over 1,500 miles to arrive in Long Beach this Friday. The “Flame of Hope” will cross the Los Angeles-Long Beach Channel and be brought to waiting athletes and officers at the public dock south of Shoreline Village around 2:45pm. Runners will carry the torch down Ocean Boulevard to Legends Restaurant at 5236 east 2nd Street for the next handoff around 3:30pm. From there it will be taken to the Pyramid on the Cal State Long Beach campus.
This Friday, the Special Olympic Summer Games will begin at 7pm in the Pyramid and last throughout the weekend, in an event that has been described to me as one of the most inspirational scenes that can be witnessed. Special Olympics athletes from all over the country will participate.