LONDON – Thousands of people lined Britain's streets Wednesday to welcome the Paralympic flame as it arrived in London ahead of the Games' opening ceremony. The flame, which is being carried by some 580 torchbearers in total, visited London landmarks including the Abbey Road crosswalk made famous by The Beatles. The relay will end at the Olympic Stadium in east London. Organizers were trying to make sure the flame will arrive on time for the opening ceremony — the relay was running around two hours late. The London Organizing Committee said that as a contingency plan, officials had arranged for part of the flame to be sent to the stadium separately to make sure the ceremony could start on time. The relay would continue, organizers said. The 24-hour torch relay began Tuesday night in Stoke Mandeville, about 72 kilometers northwest of London, the birthplace of the Paralympic Games. Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge are expected to join thousands at the opening show, which will kick off 11 days of competition featuring 4,300 athletes from more than 160 countries. A spectacular opening ceremony starring acclaimed British scientist Stephen Hawking was set to ring in the biggest ever Paralympic Games, aiming to transform ideas about disability and champion the human spirit. Hawking, author of the best-selling “A Brief History of Time” and described by organizers as “the most famous disabled person anywhere in the world”, will make a rare public appearance to narrate parts of the ceremony at the Olympic Stadium. Organizers said Hawking, who has motor neurone disease and has been paralyzed for most of his life, would guide a central character on a journey of discovery in a story inspired by William Shakespeare's “The Tempest”. “What came through to us was the humanity and humor of Professor Hawking,” said Bradley Hemmings, the ceremony's co-artistic director. “He's a fun guy.” Hawking, who speaks using a voice synthesizer, will deliver a series of messages about “the origins of the universe and how humanity has tried to understand how everything is ordered,” Hemming's co-director Jenny Sealey said. The ceremony, involving 3,000 performers, many of them with disabilities, brings the curtain up on the highest-profile Paralympic Games in the event's 52-year history. South Africa's Oscar Pistorius, who made became the first double-amputee to run in the Olympics this month, will be among the biggest stars of the 11-day competition for disabled athletes. — Agencies
