It’s going to be today!!! In case you haven’t heard, fellow Filipino Marco Torres has been selected as one of eight expats to carry the Olympic Torch for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The last time a Filipino held the torch was 44 years ago during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Today will be a historic day for Marco and all the Pinoys around the globe.

I used to play volleyball with Marco a long time ago. All I can say is that he’s a very passionate person in whatever he engages into. So when I heard about the Expats for Olympic Torchbearers, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that Marco joined it. He started his campaign back in October 2007. He got as far as getting interviewed in numerous TV and radio shows. Here’s one of them:

All efforts were paid off. Thanks to the support coming from the Filipino community, Marco Torres became one of the eight expats to carry the Olympic Torch. He got the second most number of votes with a total of 13,342.

Background Info on the 2008 Beijing Olympics Torch Relay

• The Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay is the largest Torch Relay in the history of the Olympic Games.
• Theme: “Journey of Harmony” and slogan: “Light the Passion, Share the Dream.”
• It is taking place from March 24th until August 8th, 2008, traveling through 21 cities outside Mainland China and 113 cities or prefectures in Mainland China. The Relay will cover approximately 137,000 kilometers and involve more than 21,880 torchbearers.
• The official torch lighting took place in Olympia, Greece on March 24, 2008. The international portion started on March 24 and concluded on May 3. Now, the torch is traveling in Mainland China up to August 8.

In case anyone is interested, you can see the the itinerary for the Lanzhou torch relay over here. Marco says:

I will carry the torch on Monday, the 7th of July and return to Manila the next day on Tuesday, the 8th. I will stay in Manila for a week. I’ll have the torch then along with a DVD of the torch relay and photos as a gift from Beijing Olympics committee.

You can reach me in Manila at 721-1501 (721-1505 Tuesdays onwards) or via cell# 0906-291-7099. See you then! I can’t believe it’s finally happening. Thanks again for your continued support.

Hopefully everything will run smoothly today as Marco Torres carries the torch for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I’ll be watching the news today and hopefully get a glimpse of the relay. Good luck Marco!

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