UNDATED (AP) — The three-day torch relay for the Beijing Olympics has started with an 80-year-old former speedskater carrying the flame. The relay has been shortened considerably because of concerns about the coronavirus. Luo Zhihuan ran the first leg. He is the country’s first internationally competitive speedskater. The torch will be carried through the three Olympics zones. It starts with downtown Beijing. The Beijing Games have already been impacted on a scale similar to that experienced by Tokyo during last year’s Summer Olympics. China says only selected spectators will be allowed to attend the events.
In other Olympic news:
— Equipment manager Petr Sulan stepped into the net for the Czech Republic’s latest pre-Olympic practice because the three goaltenders on the roster have not gotten to Beijing yet. Sulan was the only goalie on the ice with 10 Czech skaters while the team awaited COVID-19 test results. Sulan most recently played in the third-tier Czech league in 2009 before hanging up his pads. The 39-year-old Sulan has worked for the national team the past three years.
— Ski jumper Marita Kramer will miss the Beijing Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19.
