A welcome ceremony for the Olympic flame for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games was held at the Beijing Olympic Tower near the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in the Chinese capital on Wednesday. 

A cauldron was lit up at the ceremony by Cai Qi, secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and president of the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee (BOCOG).

Designer shares thoughts behind Beijing 2022 torch relay logo

The organizers unveiled a torch relay plan during the ceremony. A series of torch relay activities, including an Olympic flame display, is scheduled with the slogan "Health, Joy and Energy."

In accordance with the concept of delivering "a streamlined, safe and splendid Games," the scale of the torch relay will be reduced to ensure the health and safety of the public.

Olympic flame arrives in China for Beijing 2022

The flame landed in Beijing on Wednesday morning after being flown from Athens, Greece.

According to the BOCOG, the Olympic flame will be initially displayed at the Olympic Tower in Beijing, and will then tour China, aiming to spread the Olympic spirit and engage more people to participate in ice and snow sports.

Around 1,200 torchbearers will participate in the relay from February 2 to 4 next year in the three competition zones of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.

The online torch relay will feature virtual reality, WeChat mini programs and other promotional programs to attract more people to join in.

(With input from Xinhua)