Mountaineers take Olympic torch to the top of Everest

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Olympic flame has reached the top of the world. Live television footage showed a Chinese mountaineering team holding up a specially designed torch along with Chinese and Olympic flags Thursday on the top of Mount Everest. "One World, One Dream," team captain Nyima Cering yelled as he was passed the torch on final icy incline leading to the peak, repeating the slogan for the Beijing Olympics. "We have lit the torch on top of the world," added another climber. The climb up Everest was a spectacular feat that organizers of the Beijing Olympics hoped would underscore China's ambitions for this August's games. Criticized from the outset because of China's often harsh rule over Tibet - where Everest is located - the event drew more intense scrutiny after Tibetans across western China erupted in anti-government protests in March.