A couple of Bollywood celebrities might be lucky to attend the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, but Amitabh Bachchan had a far bigger honour. He was asked to be a torchbearer recently during the Olympic Torch Relay, which was organised a day before the grand opening ceremony.
The 69-year-old actor ran 300 meters at the London Borough of Southwark with the torch, with thousands of fans lining the streets. The final leg of the relay stretched for 32.7 miles. It saw participation from dignitaries like the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and UK based steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. When Bachchan was contacted to share his feelings after his participation, he says, “I have admired the Olympic Games since I was a child, and am hugely privileged to have played a small part in this great event, and to have held, felt and run with the torch. I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life.” “OK!! HERE IT IS : Have been invited by London Olympic Organizing Committee to carry the torch in the relay tomorrow… Honored to be asked to carry the Olympic Torch in London at Southwark around 10:30 AM !! A proud moment for me and country,” Bachchan had tweeted on July 25th.
Son Abhishek accompanied him to London too. The duo may catch some of the games at the event before heading back to Mumbai on August 4.
