Olympic Flame at LA Coliseum to be Lit this Wednesday in Honor of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
April 22, 2008 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers News Release
LOS ANGELES ( April 20, 2008) - Traffic Sports Marketing and Soccer United Marketing (SUM), announced today a special pre-game ceremony to light the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum's Olympic Flame immediately prior to the international soccer match between the Chinese National Team and the Salvadorian National Team this Wednesday, April 23, 2008 (8:00 p.m., PT).
The ceremony will be led by Mr. Pat Lynch, GM of the LA Coliseum, Mr. Bernard Parks, Los Angeles City Council Member, Mr. Zhang Yun, the Consul General of China in Los Angeles, , and Mr. Barry Sanders, Chairman of the Southern California Olympic Committee.
The city of Los Angeles and the LA Coliseum hold a special place in Olympic and Chinese sports history. The LA Coliseum has hosted two Olympic Games: 1932 and 1984. The People's Republic of China made its inaugural Olympic appearance at the Los Angeles1984 Olympics and won the first gold medal of those Games. Now only 24 years later, the Republic of China is proudly hosting its first-ever Olympic games in Beijing later this summer.
The Coliseum Flame has been lit on several important occasions including most prominently: during Olympic Games around the world; in April 2005 following the death of Pope John Paul II who had celebrated Mass at the Coliseum during his visit to Los Angeles in 1987; in 2004 as a tribute to Ronald Reagan's life; and in 2001 for over a week following the September 11 attacks. And this Wednesday, the Coliseum Flame will be lit as a gesture between two-time Olympic host city Los Angeles and first-time Olympic host city Beijing.
"We must seize every opportunity to celebrate the importance of the Olympic Games and breathe the Olympic spirit. So with the Chinese Men's National Soccer Team here in Los Angeles just months ahead of the Olympics this summer, the City of Los Angeles, the LA Coliseum, the Southern California Olympic Committee and the Chinese Consulate felt it was the perfect moment for Los Angeles to unite and salute Beijing 2008," commented Pat Lynch, GM of the LA Coliseum.
The international game between El Salvador and China is important for both national teams as they gear up towards their qualifying matches on the road to the FIFA World Cup 2010. In addition, the coach and several of the players of the Chinese National Team will be competing on the Chinese Olympic soccer squad this summer.
Tickets for the game are on sale starting at $20 dollars and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by visiting the Los Angeles Sports Arena Ticketing Office, by visiting major Ticketón locations, Evergreen Bookstores and all major Salvadorian outlets.
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