LONDON: Olympic fever Sunday gripped snowy London - host of the 2012 Summer Games - on the latest leg of the torch relay's global odyssey.
Despite the bad weather, the flame received a particularly warm welcome from crowds in the city, which is celebrating the centenary of the hosting of the 1908 Games.
London hosted another Summer Games in 1948, and come the next edition, will be the only city in the world to host three Summer Olympics.
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Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown (2nd R) claps as the Olympic flame is carried by disabled athlete Ali Jawad alongside Minister of Olympics Tessa Jowell (R) outside 10 Downing Street in London April 6, 2008. [Agencies]
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"The first time London held the Games was when Britain was the leading world power. It was before World War I saw the beginning of our decline. The British had done so much to organize competitive sports and popularize them - soccer, rowing, athletics etc - that I suppose it was thought natural for the Games to be held here," said David Chipp, the first Western correspondent to report on New China from Beijing.
"Then in 1948, World War II was just over and I would guess it was thought to be a sort of reward. The torch was carried into the stadium by a good-looking but little-known athlete much to the disappointment of many who hoped it would be by one of the pre-war stars. The oath was taken by a man who had won a bronze medal in the hurdles in Berlin, had fought as a fighter pilot and was again competing," the 81-year-old recalled.
China's ambassador to the UK Fu Ying, also one of the torchbearers, said: "Today is an important day for both London and Beijing."
She said Chinese people in the UK had expressed their hope, through their support, that the Olympics bring peace and harmony to the world.
Torch relay spokesman Qu Yingpu added: "Despite the snow, I am delighted to see so many people coming to welcome the sacred flame, and although there were some disruptions on the way, I want to say that this is not the place to voice anyone's political view."
British police foiled an attempt by a person to grab the torch and immediately took him away. He was among the 25 who tried to disrupt the torch relay and were detained for public order offences, police said.
Police commander Jo Kaye said there had been a "small number of criminal attempts to disrupt the safety, security and safe passage of the torch".
But they were no deterrent to thousands of Londoners, and a large number of Chinese working or studying here, who packed the streets and cheered the torch on its way around the city.
The family and relatives of Emily Giles, the youngest torchbearer in London, were among them. The 13-year-old from Wimbledon High School is a regular competitor in badminton; and her name was put forward through Badminton England, the governing body of the sport in the country.
"Although the Olympics is always an exciting time, these coming Games are particularly special due to my Chinese roots on my mother's side," the teenager said.
"It will be a great honor to carry the torch on its way to Beijing, a place to which I feel I have a link, being half Chinese and half English.
"My friends are very excited, and could not believe I was going to participate in the relay, and I am finding it hard to believe it myself!"
The relay also represents a big boost for Londoners' interest in Beijing and China. The flame's visit culminated in the end of the sensational two-month "China in London" festival, which started in February with massive Lunar New Year celebrations, the largest outside China.
Last night, the torch was flown to Paris, its last stop in Europe.
