(ATR) The journey to bring the Flame of Peace from Rome to Minsk for the European Games begins.
A caravan of Belarusian bikers left Minsk’s Memorial Church of All Saints on Saturday en route to Italy. They will accompany the torch on its trip from Rome to Minsk.
The Torch relay will begin in Rome on May 3, following the lighting of the Flame of Peace at the Ara Pacis, the world’s oldest temple. The lighting ceremony will mark 50 days to go until the opening ceremony for Minsk 2019.
Four Belarusian athletes will attend the ceremony and act as official torchbearers. They are four-time Olympic figure skating champion Alena Bialova, four-time biathlon Olympic champion Darya Domracheva, gymnastics Olympic champion Uladzislau Hancharou and 100m Olympic champion Yuliya Nestsiarenka.
The motorcade of bikers will lead the relay to Belarus, crossing 55 locations in Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
The athletes from the Belarusian Climbing and Mountaineering Federation will bring the Flame of Peace to the top of Mont Blanc on May 5-7.
The motorcade is scheduled to reach the border of Belarus on May 11. The relay for the Flame of Peace will end at the Dinamo Stadium in Minsk with the lighting of the cauldron on June 21.
"The total distance that we will have to travel is around 7,700 kilometers," Yevgeny Beyzak, head of "The one chapter Belarus" biker club, said in a statement.
"I am confident that the equipment will not let us down, and the Flame of Peace will be delivered on time. It will be easy to identify our motorcade because every motorcycle will display the national flag and the flag of the Torch Relay."
The motorcade will continue to move to its destination regardless of weather conditions, according to organizers.
Written by Gerard Farek
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