The Olympic flame has arrived in Sanya in China's southern province of Hainan for the first leg of its mainland relay.

A total of 208 torchbearers will run through the 30 kilometers route in the coastal resort on Sunday.

Before reaching Sanya, the torch traveled through the Macao Special Administrative Region.

At the launch ceremony, Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Chief Executive of the Macao SAR handed the torch to Leong Hong Man, a local martial arts athlete and also the first torchbearer.

Macao's gaming mogul, 86-year-old Stanley Ho was the second torchbearer in the relay. He was also the eldest among 120 torchbearers and ran 200 metres.

"I feel very happy, because I'm a Chinese. China will hold the Olympic Games. We all feel very excited and proud of it."

The excitement continued along the route. Many torchbearers said 200 meters was too short.

"I feel very excited, because this is the first time the flame has come to Macao. We not only witness this historical moment, but also feel that the Olympics will come to our capital Beijing very soon. Everyone in Macao want to unite together for the games."

The route of the Macao-leg relay passed along most of the city's cultural relics and iconic buildings such as the Grand Lisboa casino hotel.