by Krystal Hu
BEIJING, Feb 4 (Reuters) – A Xinjiang-born cross-country skier was one of the last two athletes to carry the Olympic torch on Friday at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games.
Dinigeer Yilamujiang, from Altay, Xinjiang, and Zhao Jiawen, a 21-year-old biathlete, presided over the burning of the Olympic cauldron.
Yilamujiang, 21, is the first Chinese cross-country skier to be awarded in international competition and is a medal hope for China at these Winter Games.
The symbolic choice of Yilamujiang came as many Western countries boycotted the Winter Games to oppose China’s treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. China denies any violation of human rights. (Krystal Hu report, French version Lou Phily, edited by Sophie Louet)