People wait to welcome the Olympic flame before the beginning of the Olympic torch relay in San Francisco, the United States, April 9, 2008. San Francisco is the sixth stop of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay outside the Chinese mainland.

Under a sunny sky, thousands of people began gathering along the route of the Olympic torch relay early Wednesday morning to show their support for the torch run.

Supporters of China's role as host of the Games were upholding Chinese national flags and displaying the Beijing Olympic mascot Fuwa on the city's waterfront.

Dozens of women dressed in red performed a drum dance to entertain people, drawing applauses from spectators. One dancer, Li Hua, told Xinhua that they traveled about 5 hundred miles from Los Angeles to witness the historic torch relay.

"This is great event not only for citizens in San Francisco but also for all Chinese Americans and all people around the world," she said. "We want to do our bit to let the world know any attempt to disrupt the torch relay is doomed to failure."

Richard Coile, a tourist from Georgia, was transfixed as he watched the dance. He said he was excited to see all this enthusiasm for the Beijing Olympic Games. "What is really happening is different from what I read in the U.S. media," he said. "I despise those who try to link politics with sports. This is a ploy by politicians. Most Americans don't buy their story."

Coile's friend, a middle-aged woman, said, "This is a great day. Look at the cheering crowds. Even the weather extends its support. Just feel the gentle breeze and the warmth of the sun rays."

To give the Olympic flame a spectacular reception, tens of thousands of Chinese Americans will come out to cheer the torch relay, said Siu Yuen Chung, Chairman of the Chinese American Association of Commerce (CAAC).

For the special event, the CAAC has distributed 10,000 T-shirts imprinted with the Olympic symbol to people across the city, Chung told Xinhua, adding that the T-shirts are in short supply as so many supporters want to wear them.

The CAAC, in cooperation with almost 200 Chinese American associations, will also organize a show of Taichi boxing by hundreds of people at Justin Herman Plaza where the relay route will end.

The scenes along the route appeared festive on Wednesday morning, with no sign of protests. "Everything is tranquil and peaceful," said a police officer standing on guard. He said the police were ready to foil any disruption attempt.

Security was being tightened around the city as officials mobilized for protests in response to the Olympic torch's only North American stop on its journey to Beijing.

"We are trying to accomplish two goals here. One is to protect the right to free speech and the other is to ensure public safety, and here in San Francisco we are good at both of those things," said Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Mayor Newsom hinted on Tuesday that security concerns could prompt a last-minute change. But a spokesman dismissed rumors the relay would be canceled. Already, one runner who planned to carry the torch dropped out because of safety concerns, officials said.

While anxiously expecting the torch relay, many San Francisco citizens expressed dismay at attemps to link the Olympic Games with politics.

Shirley Olivo, a 75-year-old San Francisco native and grandmother of a Special Olympian, said carrying the torch and the Olympics shouldn't really be about politics.

(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2008)