The Paralympic torch will be relayed at the China Millennium Monument, the Summer Palace and Chaoyang Park in Beijing on Friday and Saturday, organizers said on Thursday.

Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee, is one of the 240 torchbearers who will pass the flame on the 12-kilometer route of the Beijing leg.

The Paralympic flame was ignited on August 28 and has been relayed along two routes through 10 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

It will light the cauldron when the 13th Paralympics opens Saturday night at the National Stadium, better known as the Bird's Nest.

More than 4,000 athletes from 148 countries and regions will take part in the Beijing Paralympics.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2008)