ST. PETERSBURG: The Olympic flame will blaze its way through St. Petersburg and London, and make its way to Paris before the weekend is over, but the Russian city has already captured the imagination of the torch relay team during their brief stop.

Vyacheslav Chazov (left), head of the St. Petersburg sports and physical culture committee, and torchbearer Galina Zybina attend a press conference on Friday. The Olympic flame arrived in St. Petersburg on Friday for the third leg of its global journey. [Xinhua]

The two-day Russian leg of the relay - its third international stop - ends on Saturday. On Sunday, it will visit London, before heading to the French capital, Paris.

St. Petersburg, the second-largest city in the world's largest country, with more than 1 million residents, has been hailed as an ideal advocate for the true meaning of peace and harmony that the Olympic movement embodies.

Founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter The Great, the city has emerged from an intriguing history of wars, revolutions, trials and tribulations, the most recent being the 1991 coup d'tat, when it still carried the Soviet-era name of Leningrad.

The city was imperial Russia's capital for 200 years until the October Revolution of 1917.

It is still sometimes referred to as the "Northern Capital" in Russia.

St. Petersburg is also the birthplace of Russian president Vladimir Putin, who has said that "everything that is characteristic of the history of our entire country is reflected in the history of the city".

Vyacheslav Chazov, head of the St. Petersburg sports and physical culture committee, said: "It's a great honor for St. Petersburg to be part of such an important world sporting event."

Leonid Drachevsky, deputy chairman of Russia's power grid monopoly Unified Energy System and a former Olympian rower and merited coach of the Soviet Union, said: "People in the city and across all parts of Russia are proud of the opportunity."

More than 80 Olympic champions live in St. Petersburg, and 44 of the city's sportspeople will participate in the upcoming Beijing Games, Chazov said.

Galina Zybina, a 77-year-old former shot-putter who won three medals between the Helsinki 1952 and Tokyo 1964 Games, is the city's most senior Olympic champion and will be the first to carry the torch on Saturday. A survivor of the 900-day Siege of Leningrad during World War II, she is scheduled to begin carrying the Olympic flame from the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad in Victory Square.

Russia is scheduled to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

While St. Petersburg failed in its bid for the 2004 Olympics, it has applied again to host the Games in 2020.

In May 2003, Chinese President Hu Jintao was among leaders from more than 40 countries, regions and international organizations attending events to celebrate the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.

The St. Petersburg relay marks the second time the Olympic flame has come to Russia after the Moscow 1980 Games. It also represents by far the closest cooperation between China and Russia for the Olympics.

The torch relay of the Beijing Games will travel the longest distance, cover the greatest area and involve the largest number of people in Olympic history.