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Jenny Bowen, pictured with her daughters, Anya and Maya. Bowen has been selected as the only American to run on Chinese soil with the Olympic torch before next year's Beijing Summer Games.
Jenny Bowen, an American living in Beijing, has been selected as the only American to carry the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch on Chinese soil next year. She and seven other non-Chinese winners were chosen from a pool of 262 applicants from 47 countries in a contest organized by Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group and the official English-language newspaper, China Daily.
When Bowen runs with the Olympic torch next year, she will not only be representing the United States. She will also be representing thousands of Chinese orphans, ABC news said.
Bowen, a mother of two adopted Chinese daughters, is executive director of Half the Sky Foundation, an organization which was established in 1998 and aims to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects for orphaned children in China.
Nearly 10 years later, Bowen and Half the Sky have touched the lives of over 13,000 children.
Half the Sky is now present in 36 welfare institutions in 28 Chinese cities. Approximately 4,000 children are active in the program, which provides trained staff, educational tools, medical support and nurturing love to orphans.
Bowen hopes that running with the Olympic torch next year will help draw attention to the children in China. She will be among 19,400 runners who will carry the flame along an 85,000-mile, 130-day route across five continents. Beijing organizers say it will be the longest torch relay in Olympic history.
Like Bowen, the seven other non-Chinese winners, who include a German engineer and a Venezuelan graphic designer, live in China. Other countries represented will be the Philippines, Colombia, India, Japan and Russia.
According to Olympic organizers, candidates were selected based on an online vote, committee selection, their "love of Chinese culture and history" and devotion to "[communicating] information of a real China to their native countries."
Each runner will carry the torch for 200 meters on Chinese soil
由联想集团及中国官方英文媒体《中国日报》联合举办的“联想在华外国人奥运火炬手”选拔活动最终结果日前揭晓。生活在北京的博珍妮将成为2008年为北京奥运会传递火炬的唯一一位美国人。该选拔活动共吸引了来自47个国家的262名在华外籍人士报名参加。 博珍妮等八位外籍人士从其中脱颖而出。
美国广播公司报道说，博珍妮明年在中国传递奥运火炬时，她不仅将代表美国，还将代表中国数千名孤儿。
博珍妮在中国收养了两个女儿，她目前是“半边天基金会”的执行主席。“半边天基金会”成立于1998年，旨在帮助改善和提高中国孤儿的生活境况。
近十年来，博珍妮和她的“半边天基金会”共帮助了1万3千多名孤儿。目前，“半边天基金会”共在中国28个城市的36家福利院开展福利项目，该项目共涉及约4000名孤儿，主要为他们提供培训教师、教学器材与医疗保障，并给予他们抚慰和关爱。
博珍妮希望，自己担任奥运火炬手能吸引更多的人关注中国儿童。北京2008年奥运会的境内奥运火炬传递手共有19400名，火炬传递路线长达85000英里，途经五大洲，火炬传递将为期130天。北京奥组委称，北京奥运会的火炬传递路线将成为奥运历史上最长的火炬传递路线。
除美国的博珍妮外，其他七位“老外奥运火炬手”包括，来自德国的一名工程师、来自委内瑞拉的一位美术设计师及分别来自菲律宾、哥伦比亚、印度、日本和俄罗斯的五位在华人士。
据北京奥组委介绍，“联想在华外国人奥运火炬手”选拔活动包括网上投票和选拔委员会评定两个阶段，其选拔标准包括“热爱中国文化和历史”及“为推动中外友好关系做出贡献”等。
每位奥运火炬传递手将手持圣火跑200米。
