Vancouver's quadriplegic mayor will be among 10 Canadians who will participate in the torch relay at next month's Paralympic Games in Beijing.
Sam Sullivan, who was put in a wheelchair at 19 after a skiing accident, left for the Chinese capital today.
Sullivan will be carrying the torch on his power wheelchair in a special holder he first used to hold the Olympic flag he received at the Turin Winter Games in 2006, a handoff ceremony before the Winter Games come to Vancouver in 2010.
However, Sullivan won't be presiding over the 2010 Olympics as mayor because he's been ousted as his civic party's candidate in this fall's municipal elections.
Sullivan says it's an honour to participate in the Beijing Paralympic torch relay.
He jokes that it's a little riskier than carrying the Olympic flag because he'll have to keep an eye on the wind so he doesn't set himself on fire.
