Organisers of the Sichuan stages of the Olympic torch relay have expanded the province's list of torch-bearers by 29 to include people who were on the frontlines of rescue efforts after the May 12 earthquake, according to mainland media. Nineteen of the 29 were either People's Liberation Army soldiers, People's Armed Police officers or public security personnel, the Chengdu-based Huaxi Metropolis News reported. Five of the new torch-bearers were women, and those not from the security forces were commended for their contributions to sanitation, the media and education. The new inclusions in the relay are in addition to the 832 torch-bearers originally scheduled to participate in Sichuan. Organisers have not released details about the runners. After the quake struck, the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games rescheduled the Sichuan leg from mid-June to early next month so it would be the last series of stops before the flame arrived in the capital. The Sichuan leg of the relay is now scheduled to take place from Sunday to Tuesday of next week before the flame finally arrives in Beijing on Wednesday.
