BEIJING — The torch relay for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games started in Beijing on Feb 2, just two days before the Games officially opens.

Vice-Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, lit a torch from a cauldron at the launch ceremony held at the Olympic Forest Park, then handed it to 80-year-old Luo Zhihuan, China's first winter sports world champion.

The torch relay has been scaled down and is being held under strict precautionary measures due to concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some 1200 participants will take part in the relay, which will last three days through three competition zones and culminate with the lighting of the cauldron at the opening ceremony on the night of Feb 4.

The first day takes the theme "Showcasing Beijing as a dual Olympic city" as the flame makes its way to the Beijing Winter Olympic Park.

The Winter Olympics will take place from Feb 4 to 20.